Turkish politicians react to court verdict that sentenced Istanbul mayor to over 2 years in prison

By Anadolu Agency Staff

ANKARA (AA) - Following a Turkish court verdict that sentenced the Istanbul mayor to over 2 years in prison for "openly insulting public officials," an alliance of six opposition parties held a rally in Istanbul to denounce the court’s decision.

Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was sentenced to over two years in prison on Wednesday for "insulting" members of the country's top election authority amid previous local elections in 2019.

If an appeals court upholds the decision, it can be appealed at the Court of Cassation, also called the Supreme Court of Appeals. If the Court of Cassation upholds the verdict, it will be the final order, but if it overturns the verdict, a local court will rule about it. If the local court insists on the order, the Court of Cassation will make the final decision.

The court’s decision has fueled a debate among opposition parties on a presidential candidate to challenge Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next presidential election scheduled for June.

With his recent visits to the US, the UK, and Germany to seek support for his election campaign, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has signaled that he wants to be the opposition's presidential candidate.

Criticizing and questioning the court verdict, Kilicdaroglu said Imamoglu will continue to serve as the mayor of Istanbul, tacitly ruling out Imamoglu's nomination.

Meanwhile, accusing the opposition parties of distorting the issue for a power struggle within the alliance ahead of the presidential election, Bulent Turan, a parliamentary group deputy chairman of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, said: “There is a decision of the local court, but in the next period there will be both an appeal and a Supreme Court process.”

The opposition parties are experiencing an internal feud over the decision which is not final, Turan added.

Responding to the opposition’s criticism that the ruling was politically motivated, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said in the exercise of judicial power, no organ, authority, or person are able to give orders and instructions, send circulars, or make recommendations or suggestions.

"Appeals and cassation against this decision are open," Bozdag said.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahceli also accuses the opposition of using the decision for political point scoring.

The People's Alliance – the electoral alliance between AK Party and MHP – was formed ahead of June 2018 general elections.

On Wednesday, Imamoglu was handed a sentence of two years, seven months, and 15 days after being convicted of "openly insulting public officials working as a committee for their duties," referring to 10 members of the Supreme Election Board (YSK) and its former head Sadi Guven.

The Istanbul court also ruled in favor of applying Article 53 of Türkiye's penal code, under which a person who receives a prison sentence for an intentional offense is deprived of "exercising certain rights," including "undertaking employment as, or in the service of, an appointed or elected public officer."

Opposition politician Meral Aksener, head of the Good (IYI) Party, traveled to Istanbul from Ankara to join the rally and show her solidarity with the mayor.

According to official figures, 25,000 people were pressent in the rally.