A Turkish court has adjourned the trial of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu until July in a case concerning his criticism of a prosecutor for acting with political bias, Turkish Minute reported on Monday.
The hearing was held at a courthouse inside Marmara Prison — widely known as Silivri Prison — in İstanbul, where İmamoğlu has been jailed since March 23 on separate charges. The case stems from comments he made in 2023 about Akın Gürlek, a former judge known for his rulings against government critics and now İstanbul’s chief public prosecutor. Gürlek previously served as a deputy justice minister and has overseen high-profile political trials, raising concerns about his impartiality.
İmamoğlu and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) accuse Gürlek of using his judicial authority to target the party on orders from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
The mayor is accused of “targeting individuals fighting terrorism,” “insult” and “issuing a threat” for remarks made during a panel discussion that allegedly referenced 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).
According to ANKA, the court adjourned the proceedings until July 16 after the prosecution submitted its final opinion.
In his courtroom statement, İmamoğlu strongly denied the charges, calling the case politically motivated and part of a broader effort to punish him for his electoral success.
“It is not me who is on trial here today,” İmamoğlu said. “What’s really being prosecuted is every dissenting stance that displeases the government, every democratic gain and the will of the people.”
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.
CHP leader Özgür Özel, accompanied by a delegation of party officials, attended the hearing in a show of solidarity with İmamoğlu on Monday.
The crackdown on opposition figures has intensified since the arrest of İmamoğlu, a leading challenger to Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential race. İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and later jailed on corruption charges widely viewed as politically motivated, sparking mass protests and heightening political tensions across the country. The investigation has since expanded to target 47 municipal officials and opposition figures, resulting in 30 arrests. Critics say the sweeping probe is aimed at weakening the opposition and consolidating power ahead of a potential snap election.
İmamoğlu 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.
The outcome of the trial concerning his criticism of Gürlek could significantly impact İmamoğlu’s political future since a conviction and political ban would effectively sideline him from national politics.
