Thousands of Turks protested today, Thursday, against the imprisonment and political ban of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, and criticized the Turkish government ahead of elections scheduled for next year.
Imamoglu's supporters demonstrated in more than one street in Istanbul, carrying Turkish flags, and chanting slogans accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party of politicizing the judiciary and issuing a ruling to end the political career of the mayor who belongs to the opposition Republican People's Party.
Yesterday, Wednesday, a Turkish court sentenced Imamoglu to two years and 7 months in prison for insulting members of the electoral commission in a speech he delivered after winning the Istanbul mayoralty vote in 2019.
Imamoglu has the right to file an appeal, but his supporters reject the ruling in principle.
American position
In turn, the US State Department confirmed - in a statement - that Washington is concerned and disappointed about the ruling against Imamoglu, stressing that his conviction contradicts respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
She indicated that the United States continues to express grave concern about the continuation of what it described as "judicial harassment" of civil society, the media, political leaders and businessmen in Turkey, which includes - according to the statement - prolonged pre-trial detention and what it described as "loose allegations" regarding support for terrorism. and criminal "insult" cases.
The US State Department also urged the Turkish government to stop prosecutions under what is known as the criminal "insult" laws, and to respect the rights and freedoms of all Turkish citizens, by providing what it described as an "open environment for public debate," according to the text of the statement.
In his first comment on the verdict issued against him, the mayor of Istanbul said, "Our struggle will begin now, as a group of people cannot take away the power granted by the people."
His lawyer confirmed that he would appeal the ruling, which means that he will remain in his position for the time being, but he is now excluded from the presidential elections scheduled for next year, according to Agence France-Presse.
Imamoglu - who belongs to the Republican People's Party, the country's main opposition party - won the mayoralty in the 2018 local elections over his rival Binali Yildirim, the former prime minister and candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party, in a contest marred by accusations of fraud.
After the Supreme Elections Committee decided on the appeals submitted by the Justice and Development Party, the party's request to annul the elections in Istanbul and re-run them, a request that the Elections Committee responded to, prompting Imamoglu to describe the members of the committee as "idiots" or "idiots."