Turkish prosecutors have filed a new indictment against İstanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, accusing him of insulting two public prosecutors in remarks made prior to his March arrest, Turkish Minute reported on Tuesday, citing the state-run Anadolu news agency.
İmamoğlu, a prominent figure in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and his party’s presidential candidate for the next presidential election, was arrested in March on corruption charges widely condemned as politically motivated. Dozens of other opposition figures, including senior municipal officials, were also detained in a broader investigation that has targeted CHP-run municipalities for nearly a year.
The new indictment, submitted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, claims that İmamoğlu insulted two prosecutors involved in his March 23 arrest referral. The charge carries a potential prison sentence of nine months to more than four years. Prosecutors have also asked that İmamoğlu be barred from holding any public office, citing Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code.
İmamoğlu has denied the allegation, saying his comments did not target the prosecutors’ families or private lives but constituted legitimate criticism made in the public interest. A criminal court in İstanbul has accepted the indictment.
İmamoğlu and CHP officials frequently and strongly criticize the Turkish government for giving orders to members of the judiciary to use their judicial power to crack down on government opponents.
Growing legal pressure on İmamoğlu
The new case adds to a series of legal proceedings against İmamoğlu, who ended the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) long control of İstanbul in the 2019 municipal elections. Since then, he has frequently been the subject of what critics call politically motivated judicial actions.
He was re-elected İstanbul mayor in last year’s local elections.
In December 2022 İmamoğlu was sentenced to more than two years in prison and banned from politics after being convicted of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) in comments following the annulment of his 2019 election win. That sentence is currently under appeal.
Despite his imprisonment, İmamoğlu remains a central figure in Turkish opposition politics and a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2028 if the presidential election is held as scheduled.
His arrest has sparked nationwide protests and drawn international concern. Rights groups and Western allies have expressed alarm over what they see as the erosion of judicial independence and freedom of expression in Turkey.
