Latest news with #Imamoglu
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
EU courts Turkey as it overlooks Imamoglu's arrest
When Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained in February on charges of corruption, European officials were stunned. Imamoglu, widely regarded as the most important contender against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had faced legal challenges before. But few expected his dramatic detention in a dawn raid and his treatment as little more than a common criminal. At the same time, another court case was launched against the leadership of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to remove them from office, again on charges of bribery. 'These steps risk setting Turkey-EU relations back by a decade,' a senior EU official fumed earlier this year. Five months forward, Ankara's relationship with Brussels couldn't be better. The EU last year decided to deepen its dialogue with Turkey, and many questioned whether the hard-found momentum, after years of frozen EU membership negotiations, would last amid an increasing crackdown on the opposition. In the weeks after the Imamoglu incident, EU officials met Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek as part of the Turkey-EU High-Level Economic Dialogue meeting in Brussels. In May, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers, known as Gymnich. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The meetings continued uninterrupted as Turkish courts arrested more popularly elected mayors aligned with the CHP. 'Waiting for an EU's reaction similar to Georgia's one,' Nacho Sanchez Amor, a Turkey rapporteur at the European Parliament, posted on 5 July, when three mayors were arrested. 'A new test for a coherent foreign policy or an invitation to exhibit our traditional 'double standards'?' That reaction didn't come. In July, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat met his counterparts as the two sides held the Turkey-EU High-Level Trade Dialogue meeting. The next day, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya met his European counterpart as they held the Turkey-EU High-Level Migration and Security Dialogue meeting. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara (Turkish Presidency/AFP) And finally, on Monday, the EU commissioner for enlargement, Marta Kos, met Fidan in Istanbul, releasing a joint statement that underlined areas of collaboration, from EU's projects linking Europe to Central Asia to visa liberalisation, an update to the customs union and Ukraine's reconstruction. 'Commissioner Kos also emphasized that dialogue on rule of law and democratic standards is an integral part of our relationship and a commitment by Turkiye as a candidate country,' the joint statement said. Kos and Fidan didn't hold a news conference, a sign that neither side wanted to get antagonistic questions from media on Imamoglu's case, among other issues. 'The EU doesn't want to rock the ship,' a western diplomat told Middle East Eye. 'The EU needs Turkey on Ukraine, on the defence industry overhaul and for the stability in the region as Syria recovers from the civil war.' The diplomat added that other concerns around human rights issues in Turkey are taking the back seat as the world enters a new era of conflicts and risks with Donald Trump's presidency in the US. EU with few options Turkey has emerged as a global arms producer following a series of western sanctions that have restricted Ankara's access to military equipment since 2016. Over the past two decades, the country has invested billions of dollars in its domestic defence industry. Last year, Turkish firms exported $7.2bn worth of defence products to global markets, as Ankara now produces its own fighter jets, tanks, artillery, armoured vehicles and electronic warfare systems. Turkey has been essential in supplying arms to Ukraine and hosting peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2021. Despite Ankara's refusal to join full international sanctions on Russia, Turkey has recently taken two important steps that indicate the direction Erdogan is taking in the war. 'It has become clear once again,' Erdogan said on 11 April, 'that European security is unthinkable without Turkey.' Ankara earlier this month joined the 'international drone coalition' supporting Ukraine by providing armed and unarmed military drones to Kyiv. Turkey is one of the three main drone producers in the world. Turkey also in March joined the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine, and in July broadly committed itself to post-war security guarantees for the country. Turkey to follow The Hague Group's measures against Israel 'to stop the genocide' Read More » Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, a regional director at German Marshall Fund, said the EU doesn't have many options to counter Turkey's democratic backsliding other than fully suspending the official membership negotiations, which isn't seen currently as a real option since it would be too difficult to reverse once taken. Unluhisarcikli added that Trump assuming office has weakened the US security commitment to Europe and Europeans are looking for ways to fend for themselves if necessary. 'This encourages both the EU and Turkey to view each other more favorably in terms of security and defence industry cooperation, rather than within the framework of full membership,' Unluhisarcikli told MEE. 'The EU does not want to weaken the option of strategic cooperation by criticizing Turkey based on its domestic political developments.' With this spirit, the EU is looking forward to focusing on joint areas of interest, as alluded to by the joint declaration on Monday, said Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, a managing director at the European Neighbourhood Council. This includes the Middle Corridor, a scheme also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which links Europe, including Turkey and the Caucasus, to Central Asia. 'Why is this a priority for EU and Turkiye? It's because the Central Asian region presents many opportunities for industry, critical raw materials, renewable energy production, trade and geo-political considerations linked to Turkic, Central Asian nations,' Vesterbye told MEE. 'And regional integration of wider Europe, which today includes countries like Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and many others.' A second western diplomat said the EU was focusing on the practical deliverables to improve EU-Turkey relations and keep Ankara on track while trying not to antagonise it - basically offering carrots rather than sticks to make progress on bilateral issues. An 'opportunity' for Turkey Marc Pierini, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and former EU ambassador to Turkey, however, has a differing opinion, saying that the EU government and its bodies all have expressed their dismay at the constant degradation of rule of law in Turkey. 'Given the worsened geopolitical situation in the world, an unavoidable evolution takes place: it's called the hierarchy of crises. Big powers tend to prioritise those crises closer to their core interests,' he told MEE. 'Simultaneously, Turkey's leadership is probably seeing this geopolitical situation as an 'opportunity' to further consolidate its autocratic model for domestic and electoral reasons while western partners are otherwise preoccupied.' But Turkey continues to face hurdles: for example in gaining access to the EU arms fund known as SAFE, which has a €170bn budget for European joint defence projects. SAFE mandates that 65 percent of projects are funded by firms in the bloc, the broader European Economic Area or Ukraine, only allowing Turkey to join the project with limited participation. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, however, last week continued to argue that Turkish firms won't be able to participate in the SAFE programme unless Turkey lifts its 1995 declaration of casus belli if Greece decides to increase its territorial waters from six to 12 miles.
New York Post
20-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Istanbul mayor, Erdogan's political rival, sentenced to 20 months for ‘insulting' prosecutor amid corruption probe
Turkey's top opposition leader to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sentenced to 20 months in prison for allegedly insulting and threatening a city prosecutor. Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul's mayor, has been in custody since March 23 on unrelated corruption charges and is expected to appeal the decision. His sentencing this week comes at a time when Erdogan has cracked down on political adversaries, sparking widespread protests across Turkey in recent months. 3 The mayor of Istanbul, Turkey, Ekrem Imamoglu, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for allegedly making threats and insulting the city prosecutor. REUTERS 'I've been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool,' Imamoglu told Halk TV and other Turkish media. 'This is indeed an insult against our nation.' His latest jailing marks the second time Imamoglu has been found guilty of insulting a public official. Imamoglu is also in the midst of appealing a 2022 sentence of two years and six months for criticizing election officials over a decision to annul the March 2019 Istanbul election. When a repeat election was held in June 2019, Imamoglu, the CHP Party candidate, won by a significant margin over Binali Yıldırım of the AK Party. 3 Imamoglu is seen as the country's top opposition leader to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ERDEM SAHIN/EPA/Shutterstock The Istanbul mayor has denied all charges. However, if his 2022 conviction is upheld, it could disqualify him from future elections. In March, Istanbul University revoked Imamoglu's university diploma, which would render him ineligible to run for president. The Erdogan administration denied the CHP party's claim that the charges against the mayor and others are 'a politicized attempt by the government to remove electoral threats.' 3 The mayor has denied any wrongdoing, and his latest conviction was the second time he's been found guilty of insulting a public official. AFP via Getty Images More than 200 people have been jailed pending trial, while a total of 500 have been detained, in connection with investigations into municipalities run by Imamoglu's CHP party. 'Hundreds of police officers have been sent to the doors of my house, the house of the 16 million people of Istanbul,' Imamoglu said in a social media video as he prepared for his arrest. 'We are up against a huge bully, but I will not back down.' With Wires
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Turkey: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu hit with jail term
Turkey: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu hit with jail term (Image: AP) The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was on Wednesday handed a prison sentence for insulting a prosecutor, according to Turkish state media. Imamoglu, the main political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in jail pending trial since March on separate corruption charges. He has now been sentenced to a year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Under Turkish law, prison terms of this length do not typically result in incarceration, but Imamoglu remains in pre-trial detention on other charges. Why has Imamoglu been handed another prison term? The case stems from remarks Imamoglu made after a raid on the home of a youth leader from his opposition republican people's party (CHP), when he said Istanbul's chief prosecutor, Akin Gürlek, had a "rotten" mind. Imamoglu denies the charges against him and told broadcaster Halk TV and other Turkish media: "I've been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is indeed an insult against our nation." It's not the first time that Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials. In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticizing election board officials over a decision to cancel the 2019 Istanbul elections in which he defeated the candidate from President Erdogan's ruling justice and development party (AKP). Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Park Crescent at Alembic City, Vadodara – Luxury Homes from ₹2.20 Cr* Onwards Alembic City West Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola He has appealed that sentence but it has not yet been reviewed. If upheld, the conviction could prevent Imamoglu from participating in future elections. In March, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu's university diploma, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president. Since his arrest on March 19, Turkish opposition figures have come under increasing pressure, with dozens of CHP mayors dismissed or detained on allegations of corruption. The CHP denies corruption allegations and calls them a government attempt to remove electoral threats against Erdogan, a charge the government rejects.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu, Erdogan rival, gets jail term for ‘threatening' prosecutor
Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkiye's leading opposition figure, got a 20-month prison sentence for insulting and threatening the city's public prosecutor on Wednesday (July 16, 2025), according to a court document obtained by AFP. The case is one of a number lined up against Mr. Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is already being held over an investigation into alleged corruption. His arrest in March as part of that case triggered Turkiye's worst street protests in more than a decade. Wednesday's (July 16, 2025) hearing was held at Silivri court and prison complex on the western outskirts of Istanbul, where Mr. Imamoglu has been held since his arrest. The court handed him a jail term of one year, five months and 15 days for having insulted a civil servant and two months and 15 days for threats, the court document showed. Mr. Imamoglu, who appeared in court, has denied all the allegations, arguing that he was being targeted because of his plans to challenge Erdogan in the 2028 presidential elections. The prosecutor had initially called for Mr. Imamoglu to face up to seven years and four months behind bars, and to be banned from holding political office. On Wednesday (July 16, 2025), that ban — which is handed down when the suspect gets a minimum two-year jail term — was not applied. Mr. Imamoglu was elected Istanbul Mayor in 2019 and re-elected in 2024. He was arrested on March 19 in connection with a graft probe and allegations of terror ties. The string of charges against him could prevent him taking part in the next presidential race. His arrest sparked demonstrations across the country in the worst street unrest since the 2013 Gezi Park protests, which spread across Turkiye and were brutally suppressed by police.
Russia Today
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Erdogan's chief political rival jailed in Türkiye
Ekrem Imamoglu, the former mayor of Istanbul and a key rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for insulting a public prosecutor, according to local media reports. The case stems from remarks Imamoglu allegedly made after police raided the home of a youth leader from his opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The politician reportedly responded by saying that Istanbul's chief prosecutor, Akin Gurlek, had a 'rotten' mind. The verdict was handed down on Wednesday at the high-security Silivri court and prison complex near Istanbul, which often hosts politically sensitive trials. Imamoglu was acquitted of a separate charge of targeting officials involved in counterterrorism operations. The 55-year-old former mayor has been in custody since March, awaiting trial on unrelated corruption charges. He has denied all allegations, claiming the cases are politically motivated and intended to derail his potential bid to challenge Erdogan in the 2028 presidential election. The government insists the judiciary is independent and denies any political interference. Imamoglu was first elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and re-elected in 2024. His arrest on March 19, which resulted in his temporary suspension from office, sparked mass unrest across Türkiye. Demonstrators clashed with riot police in multiple cities, including Istanbul and Ankara. Erdogan blamed the opposition for fueling the unrest and accused them of damaging the country's economy. Prosecutors had initially sought a sentence of more than seven years and a ban on Imamoglu holding public office. However, the final sentence fell short of the two-year threshold required to impose such a ban. This is not the first time Imamoglu has faced legal trouble over his remarks. In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for criticizing election board officials who annulled his 2019 mayoral victory. That verdict is currently under appeal. If upheld, it could prevent him from participating in future elections. In March, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu's diploma, effectively barring him from running for president.
