Opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for insulting government officials.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the courts will correct any mistakes in the appeals process after a trial Convicted mayor of Istanbul to more than two and a half years in prison for insulting members of the Supreme Electoral Council.
Erdogan made his first direct comments after a court on Wednesday sentenced Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition politician and likely challenger to Erdogan, to two years and seven months in prison, and put a political ban on him.
Imamoglu was indicted for insulting state officials in 2019 when he criticized the decision to cancel the first round of municipal elections he won and become mayor of Istanbul. His victory was seen as a blow to Erdogan and his AK Party.
“There is no final court decision yet. The case will be brought to the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation,” Erdogan said. “If the court made a mistake, it will be corrected. They are trying to drag us into this game.”
Erdogan also said he doesn’t care who the opposition candidate in next year’s election is.
On Friday, thousands of people in Istanbul gather to protest opposed the political verdict and ban, voicing criticism of the Turkish government ahead of elections next year that are set to pose a major test to Erdogan’s 20-year rule.
“There have been many court decisions that we criticize ourselves harshly, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to insult the judge or ignore the court’s decisions,” Erdogan said at a news conference. Protests in Mardin, southeastern Turkey.
Imamoglu himself called the verdict “political and illegal”.
Imamoglu was tried for defamation during a speech following the June 2019 Istanbul mayoral election, in which he said those who had canceled the original vote held three months earlier were “stupid people”. The AK Party refused to acknowledge Imamoglu’s initial victory.
Critics say the Turkish judiciary has acquiesced to Erdogan’s will to punish his critics. The government says they are independent.
