Turkish prosecutors seek 15-month jail term for Istanbul mayor
Turkish prosecutors on Friday sought to jail Istanbul’s mayor for at least 15 months, which would bar him from politics, over a remark he made after defeating an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections, his lawyer said.
Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the main opposition social democratic party CHP, did not appear at the latest hearing of the controversial trial on Friday, which was adjourned until Dec. 14.
As tensions simmer seven months ahead of presidential and legislative elections, Imamoglu, 52, faces charges of “insulting” public officials after being stripped of his narrow March 2019 win over the ruling party’s candidate to become mayor.
Prosecutors on Friday demanded Imamoglu be jailed for between 15 months and four years and a month, his lawyer Kemal Polat said.
Any sentence would automatically ban the mayor from political office for the duration of the sentence, the attorney said, denouncing a “political affair.”
Leaving Friday prayers,
Imamoglu said he was hoping to be acquitted.
“These types of legal procedures push people to despair, especially the younger generations,” he said.
Erdogan — who launched his own career as Istanbul mayor and views the city as his home turf — refused to recognise the result of the 2019 ballot.
Election officials called a fresh poll after reportedly discovering hundreds of thousands of “suspicious votes” once Imamoglu had already been sworn in.
The decision to call a rerun sparked global condemnation and mobilized a groundswell of support for Imamoglu that included former ruling party voters.
He won the rerun, but months later let his resentment at the ruling party spill over.
“Those who canceled the March 31 election are idiots,” he told reporters at the time, sparking the ire of the authorities.
In an interview broadcast on Fox TV earlier on Friday, Imamoglu said he had faith in the justice system.
“I am absolutely not interested in what will happen to me. I am not worried or scared,” he said.