Turkey: Opposition Rejects Indictment Against Imamoglu

The party of imprisoned opposition politician Ekrem Imamoglu has rejected the prosecution's request to impose a prison sentence of over 2,000 years on the former mayor of Istanbul as "political propaganda."

"With this indictment, the government revealed that it wants to push this country away from democracy," Deniz Yucel, a representative of the Republican People's Party (CHP), said in Ankara today. He added that it is not a legal but a political text targeting the entire party.

Imamoglu was arrested in March on charges of terrorism and corruption and was removed from his position as mayor of Istanbul. The Istanbul prosecutor's office is seeking a total prison sentence of 2,430 years for 142 offenses.

According to the indictment, Imamoglu is accused of founding and leading a criminal organization, bribery, and money laundering. The prosecution also seeks the conviction of more than 400 other suspects, including members of his family and journalists, such as Rusen Çakır.

The indictment must now be accepted by the court.

Source: APE MBE