Court in Turkey finds the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul and opponent of Erdogan guilty of making threats against a government official.
In a controversial ruling, a Turkish court has convicted Istanbul's opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, of insulting and threatening a public official and sentenced him to a year and eight months in prison. The verdict, handed down on Wednesday, marks the latest chapter in a series of legal proceedings against the prominent politician.
The charges against Imamoglu stem from comments he made in January 2025, in which he accused Istanbul's Chief Public Prosecutor, Akın Gürlek, of targeting opposition figures through politically motivated investigations. The court acquitted Imamoglu of a separate charge related to publicly identifying the prosecutor with intent to make him a target.
Imamoglu has already been in pre-trial detention since March 23, 2025, on separate corruption charges, which he and his supporters claim are politically motivated. He is expected to appeal the latest conviction, as it is part of a series of ongoing legal proceedings against him. Importantly, this conviction does not ban him from running for office, meaning he remains eligible to seek the presidency in the future.
The case against Imamoglu has triggered the largest street protests in Turkey in more than a decade, signaling significant public discontent with the government’s treatment of opposition figures. The crackdown has extended to dozens of officials from municipalities controlled by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), with waves of arrests over allegations of corruption and bribery. Opposition leaders argue that these moves are politically motivated and aimed at weakening dissent ahead of possible elections, which are officially scheduled for 2028 but could be called sooner.
Despite being imprisoned, Imamoglu was officially nominated as the CHP’s presidential candidate, underscoring his central role in the opposition and the high stakes of his legal battles. The Erdoğan administration maintains that the judiciary is impartial and free from political interference, a claim that opposition figures and international observers widely dispute. Imamoglu himself has described his trial as “punishment, not justice,” and accuses the judiciary of operating under government pressure.
The case against Imamoglu exemplifies the deepening political tensions in Turkey, with his legal troubles seen by many as a barometer of democratic freedoms and the rule of law under President Erdoğan’s government. The arrests have drawn widespread criticism from opposition leaders, who argue that the charges are politically motivated and part of a larger pattern of suppression against dissenting voices.
War-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news sources reported widespread street protests in Turkey following a controversial ruling that sentenced Istanbul's opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, to a year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening a public official. Crime-and-justice reports also highlighted the ongoing legal proceedings against Imamoglu, which opposition leaders claim are politically motivated and part of a larger pattern of suppression against dissenting voices.
