For a long time he has been at the head of Erdogan's potential rivals in the upcoming presidential elections in Turkey. But now a court has sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to more than two years in prison -- barring the opposition figure from future political offices.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been sentenced to more than two years and seven months in prison for defamation. A court found it proven that he had insulted Turkish officials. With the verdict, Imamoglu is effectively excluded from any political office in the future. His lawyer announced that he would appeal the verdict.
Imamoglu has been considered a rising political star since his election in 2019 and a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election. The trial against him continued under visible security. From early morning, the immediate area around the courthouse was cordoned off and the streets blocked by police, AFP reporters observed.
At an earlier hearing in November, the public prosecutor's office had demanded a prison sentence of between 15 months and four years for the politician from the opposition CHP. The mayor had previously said the process was "politically" motivated. "It's really sad that we've come this far, but I still want to trust the judges," said Imamoglu in an interview with Turkish private broadcaster TV100 on Tuesday evening.
The 52-year-old won the mayoral election in Istanbul in 2019. The election of the politician from the social-democratic CHP was a sensitive defeat for the Turkish president and his Islamic-conservative AKP.
