an hour agoCourt condemns Istanbul chairman, who is Erdogan's main opponent
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to more than two years in prison and imposed a political ban on insulting public officials, in a decision determined to go to an appeal. According to Reuters, Television broadcasts, the decision comes only [...]
By ReutersTelegraph broadcast, the decision comes just six months before the planned presidential and parliamentary elections, in which Imamoglu has been named a strong potential challenger of Erdogan.
A key opposition candidate for president has not yet been elected.
Imamoglu, from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was tried for a speech following the 2019 local elections in Istanbul, when he said those who canceled the vote were “bullenty”.
The prosecution envisioned a maximum sentence of four years.
Imamoglu narrowly won municipal elections in March 2019, defeating a candidate from Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
After those results were cancelled, he won the revote vote.
His victory ended 25-year-old powers in Turkey's largest city by the AKP and its Islamic predecessors.
As Reuters estimates, the outcome of the 2023 elections depends on the ability of CHP and others in opposition to join forces about a single candidate to challenge Erdogan and the AKP, which has governed Turkey for two decades.
A prison sentence or political ban would have to be based on appeals courts, potentially extending the issue beyond elections expected to take place by June 2023.
Critics say Turkish courts submit to Erdogan's will, while the government says the judiciary is independent.
