A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Ekrem İmamoğlu, the opposition mayor of Istanbul and a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to one year and eight months in prison on charges of insulting and threatening a public official.
İmamoğlu has been detained since March 23, and is expected to appeal the verdict, according to reports from the Associated Press (AP).
The case stems from comments made on January 20, in which İmamoğlu criticized Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor, Akin Gürlek, accusing him of politically motivated investigations against opposition figures.
The court found İmamoğlu guilty of insult and threat, but acquitted him of charges related to publicly identifying an official with intent to target them.
İmamoğlu has denied all wrongdoing, calling the case a form of punishment, not justice, and claiming that the judiciary is acting under government pressure.
“This is not a trial; this is a political punishment,” İmamoğlu said before the sentencing.
The Istanbul mayor, who is widely seen as Erdoğan’s most serious political challenger, was arrested along with other members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) during a corruption investigation, triggering the largest anti-government protests in Turkey in over a decade, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Despite being imprisoned, İmamoğlu has been officially named as the CHP’s presidential candidate for the 2028 elections, though speculation continues that the elections may be moved forward.
Widening Crackdown on the Opposition
Since İmamoğlu’s arrest, dozens of municipal officials from opposition-controlled cities have also been detained, facing accusations of tender manipulation and bribery—charges the opposition claims are politically motivated.
In contrast, President Erdoğan’s government maintains that the judiciary is independent and acts without political interference.
This latest sentence has sparked alarm across Turkish civil society and among international observers, raising new concerns over the erosion of democracy and the weaponization of the legal system ahead of Turkey’s next elections.
