A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a fierce critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to two years and seven months in prison for insulting the government and barred him from holding public office.
The court’s ruling must be confirmed by an appeals court before the punishments can be implemented.
If confirmed by the appeal court, İmamoğlu will be removed as mayor and banned from political activity, including voting, running for elections, and holding public office, during his sentence. This would prevent him from running for president next year, presenting a major blow to opposition parties because İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) has previously defeated rivals from Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Today's verdict is an attack on the will of millions of Istanbulites who democratically elected a mayor for their city three years ago.
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (International) (@imamoglu_int) December 14, 2022
But nothing ends here.
We will be meeting our fellow city residents outside @municipalityist at 16:00 tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/4FFcFCM78g
In 2019, the CHP won the Istanbul mayoral elections after İmamoğlu defeated AKP candidate Binali Yıldırım, breaking AKP’s two-decade hold on Istanbul. The AKP alleged irregularities in the electoral process, leading to a recount, but İmamoğlu still emerged victorious.
In fact, İmamoğlu sentence this week relates to a speech he made against Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) officials after the body called for a recount of that election. İmamoğlu had reportedly called YSK officials “fools.”
German Foreign Ministry:
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 14, 2022
“Today's verdict against #EkremImamoglu is a major setback for democracy. Freedom of speech is the most important guideline for fair competition, especially during election campaigns.” https://t.co/me6Si67i8x
Calling the verdict politically motivated and unlawful, İmamoğlu said, “the decision is proof that there is no justice left in Turkey.” Istanbul’s mayor said the AKP has “stopped fighting bravely and honestly” and is “resorting to all kinds of tricks to protect their order.”
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said Erdoğan is trying to “bully” critics into submission, accusing judges of colluding with the government. “Any decision other than an acquittal will be the confession of a plot and the palace’s orders,” he stressed, adding, “I am warning the palace for the last time, get your hand off the judiciary.”
Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel noted that the United States (US) is “deeply troubled and disappointed” by the sentencing of Istanbul’s mayor, saying the verdict restricts İmamoğlu’s right to free speech.
“This unjust sentence is inconsistent with respect for human rights, with respect to fundamental freedoms and the rule of law,” he said.
The Turkish regime's sentencing of opposition leader @ekrem_imamoglu demonstrates Turkey's continued descent toward autocracy. Free elections are the lifeblood of democracy. Erdogan cannot bar his political opponents from office & at the same time pretend to share our values. https://t.co/LXzIguXlUH
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) December 14, 2022
Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the sentence an “unjustified and politically calculated assault” on Turkish opposition. Decribing the verdict as “a travesty of justice,” HRW accused the Turkish government of “misusing courts to sideline or silence key opposition figures.”
According to the ‘Freedom in the World 2022’ report, Erdoğan has led a “wide-ranging” crackdown on critics and opponents since 2016. Accordingly, the report labels Turkey as “not free.”
In 2020, a Turkish court sentenced Taner Kılıç, Amnesty International’s Turkey chief, to six years and three months in prison on the charges of supporting Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Turkish cleric who Ankara blames for orchestrating the failed military coup in 2016.
Kılıç’s sentence was overturned by Turkey’s highest court last month.
Similarly, in April, a Turkish court ordered that human rights activist Osman Kavala be jailed for life without parole after finding him guilty of financing the 2013 Gezi Park protests that eventually led to nationwide protests against Erdoğan.