Latest news with #İmamoğlu
Euronews
7 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Turkish court convicts Istanbul mayor of insulting an official
A Turkish court convicted Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor on Wednesday of insulting and threatening a public official and sentenced him to a year and eight months in prison. Ekrem İmamoğlu, seen as the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been held in a prison west of Istanbul since 23 March. He is expected to appeal the verdict, which is part of several ongoing legal proceedings against him. The case, which predates his arrest, stems from comments he made on 20 January in which he criticised Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, accusing him of targeting opposition figures through alleged politically motivated investigations. The court on Wednesday convicted İmamoğlu of insulting and threatening Gürlek but acquitted him of the charge of publicly identifying him with the intent of making him a target. İmamoğlu, regarded as the principal challenger to Erdoğan's more than two-decade-rule, has denied the accusations. The mayor was arrested alongside other politicians from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as part of investigations into alleged corruption. His arrest triggered the largest street protests across Turkey in more than a decade. Despite being behind bars, he was officially nominated as the presidential candidate of the CHP. Turkey's next elections are due to be held in 2028, but may take place sooner. Since İmamoğlu's arrest, dozens of officials from CHP-controlled municipalities have faced waves of arrests as part of probes into alleged tender rigging and bribery. The arrests have drawn widespread criticism from opposition leaders, who argue that the charges are politically motivated. İmamoğlu himself has described the trial as "punishment, not justice," and accused the judiciary of acting under government pressure. Erdoğan's government insists that the courts are impartial and free of political involvement.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands protest against Istanbul mayor's removal 100 days ago
Thousands of people have demonstrated in Istanbul against the arrest and removal of the city's former mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, which occurred 100 days ago. In front of the city administration building, they chanted slogans such as "Against fascism, shoulder to shoulder" and "President İmamoğlu." The rally was called by his Republican People's Party (CHP) party. The popular politician and promising challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was arrested and removed from office on March 23. Numerous other individuals from his circle and party have been taken into custody in several waves of arrests. Despite this, his party has nominated him as a presidential candidate. The next regular elections are scheduled for 2028. The protest coincides with another significant blow to İmamoğlu's party: In the morning, more than 100 people were arrested in İzmir due to corruption investigations. The party views itself as a victim of a judiciary manipulated by the government. President Erdoğan, however, repeatedly asserts the independence of the judiciary. The CHP, currently the largest opposition party in Turkey, emerged as the strongest force from the last nationwide local elections. Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), for the first time in its history, only secured second place in a nationwide election.
Euronews
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Further warrants issued in Turkey's crackdown on Istanbul municipality
Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for 22 people on Tuesday as part of a deepening crackdown against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). The development comes two months after Ekrem İmamoğlu, the city's mayor and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's biggest political rival, was arrested pending trial for alleged corruption. Shortly after his arrest along with around 100 others, Turkish police detained more than 50 people in late April on suspicion of charges including bribery and "establishing, managing and being a member of an organisation with the aim of committing a crime". Some of those arrested in April were IBB employees, including the municipality's Bosphorus Zoning Manager Elçin Karaoğlu. In the latest wave of the legal crackdown, arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday morning for 22 people. IBB Press, Publications and Public Relations Department Head Taner Çetin was among them. The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), to which İmamoğlu belongs, hit out at the development. CHP Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır said the authorities were targeting heads of departments at the IBB and sending them to prison as part of a broader strategy. "There is a system whose sole aim is to prevent the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality from working," he said. Erdoğan has implied that further evidence will surface in the ongoing investigation, saying, "This is the reason for their panic." İmamoğlu has denied any wrongdoing and has called on the Turkish public to fight against "those rotting our state". İmamoğlu was detained on 18 March and was formally arrested on 23 March. The whole process came shortly before he was due to be nominated as the CHP's presidential candidate. İmamoğlu was announced as the CHP's presidential candidate with nearly 15 million party votes on the same day as his arrest. He was then suspended from his post as mayor by the Ministry of Interior. Afterwards, Nuri Aslan, a CHP member of the municipal council, was elected as the acting deputy mayor of Istanbul instead of İmamoğlu. The mass protests triggered by İmamoğlu's arrest turned into the largest demonstrations in several major cities across the country, including Istanbul, in more than a decade. Police responded to the protests with pepper spray, tear gas and water cannons. Russia has released a Greek-owned oil tanker which was was seized on Sunday in Russian waters after leaving a port in Estonia, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported. The Liberian-flagged Green Admire is now sailing in the Baltic Sea and is headed for the Dutch port of Rotterdam, according to ERR and the LSEG ship tracking data service. The tanker was seized by Russian authorities after departing from the Estonian port of Sillamäe and using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian waters, Estonia's foreign ministry said on Sunday. Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that Russia's action against the Green Admire was likely a response to the Estonian navy's campaign against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", in which it is inspecting tankers used to transport millions of barrels of Russian oil through the Baltic Sea. "(The) incident shows that Russia continues to behave unpredictably," Tsahkna said on Sunday, referring to Moscow's detention of the Green Admire. "I have also informed our allies of the event," he said, referring to other NATO members. To prevent similar incidents in the future, Estonia will redirect marine traffic to and from Sillamäe exclusively through Estonian territorial waters, the foreign ministry said. A Russian fighter jet entered NATO airspace last week after Estonia's navy had intercepted a suspected shadow fleet ship in its waters, according to Tsahkna. Russia's shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers bought used, often by non-transparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries such as the United Arab Emirates or the Marshall Islands, and flagged in places like Gabon or the Cook Islands. The European Union has been targeting the ships, which sometimes also carry stolen Ukrainian grain, with sanctions. In February, 70 vessels believed to be part of the shadow fleet were added to more than 50 already listed. EU foreign ministers are expected to slap sanctions on dozens more imminently.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Istanbul mayor İmamoğlu's X account blocked in Turkey
The X account of the imprisoned and deposed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been blocked in Turkey at the request of the Turkish government. The Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority submitted a request to the criminal court to temporarily block İmamoğlu's account, saying his posts to the public from pre-trial detention "harm public peace," according to a post by X's Global Government Affairs team on the platform on Thursday. The court then ordered the access block, stating that it was not possible to block individual posts. The block is set to remain in place until the end of İmamoğlu's pre-trial detention. İmamoğlu's profile, which is not currently run by the former mayor himself, is still accessible from other countries, with the last post shown from Wednesday. X has lodged an appeal against the decision. "While we have followed Türkiye's order regarding the account, we strongly disagree with the order and are challenging the order in court," the Global Government Affairs team wrote. The company noted that it could face "severe sanctions, including throttling of the entire platform in Türkiye" if it does not comply with the restrictions during its appeal. It added: "We believe keeping the platform accessible in Türkiye is vital to supporting freedom of expression and access to information, particularly following natural disasters and other emergencies." The Istanbul public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation against İmamoğlu based on a post on his X account from April, the communications agency said. The former mayor and rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is accused of publicly inciting a criminal offence. İmamoğlu's arrest and subsequent detention has plunged Turkey into its worst crisis in years. The former mayor was taken into custory on March 19 in connection with corruption and terrorism investigations and is being held in pre-trial detention on corruption charges. Critics accuse the government of using the judiciary to eliminate Erdoğan's main competition. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in regular mass protests since then. On Wednesday, large numbers of people demonstrated again in Istanbul, this time in front of the university that revoked İmamoğlu's decree shortly before his arrest.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Istanbul city officials arrested, weeks after mayor İmamoğlu detained
Several people associated with the city administration of Istanbul have been detained in Turkey in connection with a corruption investigation. The state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday that 50 people were taken into custody during operations in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara and Tekirdag. A total of 53 suspects were ordered to be arrested. The state broadcaster TRT reported that those arrested include the chief secretary of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was detained on March 19. İmamoğlu's bodyguard and the director of the Istanbul waterworks were also among those detained. Observers have expressed considerable doubts about the substance of the evidence against İmamoğlu. He faces charges in connection with corruption and terrorism investigations, which he has comprehensively rejected. The authorities' move against him is widely seen in Turkey as politically motivated, as İmamoğlu is considered a prominent challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a future election.
