ISTANBUL MAYOR SENTENCED FOR INSULTING COUNTRY’S SUPREME ELECTORAL COUNCIL

Wed 14 December 2022:

A Turkish court sentenced the mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city, to two years and seven months in prison on Wednesday for insulting the country’s Supreme Electoral Council.

In addition to convicting Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the court imposed a political gag order on him, which could lead to his resignation. Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, is expected to appeal the decision.

Imamoglu was chosen to serve as Istanbul’s mayor in March 2019. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, which had ruled Istanbul for 25 years, suffered a historic defeat as a result of his victory. Due to alleged anomalies, the 16 million-person city’s municipal election results were challenged by the party.

A few months later, the election was redone as a result of the challenge, and Imamoglu again prevailed.

After calling the cancellation of valid elections an act of “foolishness” on November 4, 2019, Imamoglu was charged with insulting senior public officials.

The mayor insisted that his statements were a response to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu labelling him “a fool” and accused Imamoglu of disparaging Turkey during a visit to the European Parliament. He denied insulting the members of the electoral council.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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