Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu faces 7 years in prison and political ban

Duvar English

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been facing up to seven years and four months and political in the investigation launched against him for his remarks for Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment against İmamoğlu for his remarks that “We will dismantle (this mindset) so that no one can (detain) your children from your house in the morning,” while addressing Gürlek and criticizing CHP youth branch head Cem Aydın’s detention.

İmamoğlu is facing a political ban and from two years to eight months up to seven years and four months in prison over the charges of “publicly insulting a public official because of his duty,” “threatening,” and “targeting people fighting against terrorism.”

The indictment argued that İmamoğlu used “his position to create pressure on judicial organs and members of the judiciary and to influence them in favor of” the CHP.

It also argued that Gürlek had previously served as the presiding judge of heavy criminal courts in charge of “terror crimes,” as a criminal judge of peace and as Deputy Minister of Justice, and that he was targeted by several “terrorist organizations.”

So, İmamoğlu “commited the crime of targeting people fighting against terrorism,” it claimed. 

İmamoğlu’s remarks were “humiliating” and “derogatory,” it added.

Last week, İmamoğlu gave his testimony in the same investigation. 

In his testimony, İmamoğlu said his remarks were not “threatening” or “degrading” but rather within “the freedom of expression.”

Istanbul’s popular mayor faces several investigations and likely a political ban as he is considered a strong rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

İmamoğlu’s lawyer Kemal Polat told Duvar that the indictment was served to the press before being accepted by the court, violating “the confidentiality of the investigation.”

Commenting on the indictment, İmamoğlu said the actual plaintiff in the case was President Erdoğan, not Akın Gürlek.

CHP leader Özgür Özel said if İmamoğlu would receive a political ban sentence, the upcoming election would turn into a referendum on “both Erdoğan's removal and Ekrem İmamoğlu's political ban.”

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