Istanbul Court Convicts Jailed Opposition Mayor Imamoglu
Istanbul | July 17, 2025
A Turkish court has sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to one year and eight months in prison for allegedly insulting and threatening a public official — a case seen by critics as politically motivated.
- Imamoglu was convicted over January comments targeting Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gurlek but was acquitted of publicly exposing him.
- The mayor, detained since March 23, plans to appeal the verdict.
- His arrest has sparked Turkey’s largest protests in over a decade.
- Imamoglu, the CHP’s presidential nominee, denies all charges and says the trial is “punishment, not justice.”
- Dozens of opposition officials have also been detained in ongoing corruption probes.
The government maintains that the judiciary operates independently, despite mounting international and domestic criticism.
