Deposed Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu sentenced to prison

A court in Turkey has sentenced deposed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to 25 months in prison and banned him from political activity.

Turkish media reported that he had been found guilty of insulting a public servant. If the verdict becomes final, the already imprisoned opposition politician will also formally lose his position as mayor of the metropolis of Istanbul. The city council would then have to appoint a new mayor.

İmamoğlu is considered President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's most prominent opponent and was long seen as a promising candidate to succeed him in a possible election duel. However, the extent to which he can pose a political threat to the long-time head of state is questionable due to the numerous investigations, trials and judgments against him. According to state broadcaster TRT, İmamoğlu described the latest verdict as a scandal and said the allegations were baseless. He was brought to the court hearing from a high-security prison.

Opposition accuses CHP of politically controlled actions

The opposition politician was accused of insulting an Istanbul district mayor four years ago. He had previously been acquitted twice before an appeals court reopened the case due to alleged technical errors. The Turkish opposition speaks of a politically motivated trial with the aim of eliminating Erdoğan's rivals. The government rejected influence on the judiciary.

The Istanbul municipality has been led by the opposition CHP party since the 2019 local elections, and İmamoğlu defended his office in 2024. In March 2025, he and numerous city hall employees were arrested as part of a nationwide wave of arrests. CHP mayors in other cities were also affected. The federal government, the EU Parliament and the European Commission viewed İmamoğlu's dismissal as a serious setback for democracy in Turkey.