İstanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, appeared before a judge on Friday in a trial concerning his criticism of a prosecutor for acting with political bias and stated that the reason for the trial was actually his success in elections, not what he had said.
The mayor is accused of “targeting individuals fighting terrorism,” “insult” and “issuing a threat” due to his criticism of İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor, Akın Gürlek, and his family. He faces a prison sentence of between three and seven years.
The prosecutors also demand that the mayor be barred from “holding any permanent, temporary or fixed-term public office” in line with Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
“I am here today because I won İstanbul three times,” İmamoğlu told the court on Friday. “I’m giving this statement because I was successful in defying the person who says that ‘whoever wins İstanbul, wins Turkey.’”
He was referring to the remarks of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who sees İmamoğlu as his strongest political rival and has, as one of İstanbul’s former mayors, said the path to governing Turkey passes through İstanbul.
İmamoğlu won the elections in İstanbul twice in 2019 when the first election result was contested by Erdoğan’s party on the grounds that there were irregularities. He was re-elected in the local polls last year in a development that dashed Erdoğan’s hopes to take back the city from the opposition.
The first hearing in İmamoğlu’s trial took place at the 14th High Criminal Court in Marmara Prison — widely known as Silivri Prison — in İstanbul. İmamoğlu has been held in the prison since March 23 on corruption charges as part of a separate investigation, deemed by many to be political, in order to sideline his potential presidential candidacy against Erdoğan.
Gürlek, a former judge notorious for his rulings against government critics, is accused by İmamoğlu and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) of using his judicial authority to target the party on orders from President Erdoğan and his government.
The court adjourned proceedings until June 16.
Gürlek, now Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor, previously served as a deputy justice minister and is known for overseeing high-profile political trials, raising concerns about his impartiality. İmamoğlu has argued that investigations into CHP-run municipalities are politically motivated.
In a separate case also being heard Friday, İmamoğlu stands accused of “tender rigging” from his time as mayor of İstanbul’s Beylikdüzü district between 2014 and 2019. That trial is ongoing at the Büyükçekmece 10th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Prosecutors are seeking three to seven years in prison in that case as well as a political ban.
İmamoğlu’s arrest last month sparked mass protests and escalated political tensions in the country.
He faces multiple investigations and was sentenced to more than two years in prison and barred from politics in December 2022 for allegedly insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK). The mayor has appealed his sentence, which is still pending.
There are claims that Erdoğan wants to sideline İmamoğlu if he tries to seek another term as president.