Erdoğan’s main rival in elections sentenced to nearly two years in prison
Photo: Ekrem İmamoğlu (facebook.com/imamogluekrem)
The mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rival in the elections, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. He was found guilty of "threatening" the chief prosecutor of Istanbul, Politika Haber reports.
According to reports, the court acquitted İmamoğlu of charges of "inciting persecution" of the prosecutor but sentenced him to 2 months and 15 days in prison for "threats," as well as one year and 5 months for "insulting a public official."
Since the total prison term does not exceed two years, İmamoğlu is not barred from engaging in political activity.
At the same time, he faces several other ongoing court cases, and there remains a risk that he may still be prohibited from participating in politics.
İmamoğlu is considered the main rival of Erdoğan, who has ruled the country for 22 years. The next presidential election in Türkiye is scheduled for 2028 but could be called earlier.
Arrest of İmamoğlu
On March 19, the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is the main political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was detained in Türkiye. He is suspected of corruption and aiding a terrorist organization — the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) — although İmamoğlu himself denies these accusations.
The politician’s arrest sparked mass protests in Istanbul, Ankara, and other cities across the country. Over 300 people were detained within a day during the protests.
Authorities warned they would not allow chaos or provocations to occur, and Twitter (X) blocked accounts of users spreading information about the protests.
The court decided to place the mayor of Istanbul in custody during the pre-trial investigation.
