Istanbul Mayor Who Opposes Erdogan Convicted of Insulting Public Officials

A court in Turkey has convicted the mayor of Istanbul on charges of insulting public officials, and barred him from political activity. Opposition figure Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was seen as a strong challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next year’s presidential elections. The opposition candidate has not yet been selected by the six opposition parties gunning to unseat Erdogan.

Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison as well as the political ban for statements after he won Istanbul’s municipal elections in 2019, when he defeated the Erdogan-backed candidate in a re-run of a controversial election. He says he will appeal the verdict and the sentence, which would also require him to leave the mayoralty. The appeal might not come in time for the presidential election, however.

Erdogan, who has served as Turkey’s president since 2014, faces a difficult election due to the major economic crisis ravaging Turkey.