İSTANBUL MAYOR'S CONVICTION
Addressing thousands in İstanbul, opposition leaders, mayor vow to fight injustice
Photos: Hikmet Adal, Tuğçe Yılmaz
Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish
Leaders of six opposition parties have visited İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu at the municipal hall in the Fatih district following the mayor's conviction that could see him lose his seat.
They later addressed thousands of people gathered outside of the municipal hall for the second day in a row to express support for İmamoğlu, promising to win next year's elections and bring back justice to the country.
İmamoğlu was yesterday sentenced to 2 years and 7 months in prison for "insulting" the country's top election officials. If the verdict is upheld, he will be banned from politics. İmamoğlu has been idely anticipated as a possible joint presidential candidate.
Leaders' speeches
Five leaders of the opposition alliance known as the "Table of Six," Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Good (İYİ) Party Chair Meral Akşener, Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party Chair Ali Babacan, Future Party Chair Ahmet Davutoğlu, and Democratic Party (DP) Chair Gültekin Uysal gathered in the municipal hall, whereas Felicity Party Chair Temel Karamollaoğlu did not attend the meeting because of a doctor appointment, he said on Twitter. A deputy chair of the party attended instead.
İmamoğlu: We will get through these dark days
"They got a verdict from the court to dismiss the mayor you elected and put him in prison. Moreover, when they saw the judge would not give the decision they wished, they exiled him and brought in another judge.
"They neither consider law nor morality. They neither consider religion nor faith. They ignore everything.
"To unlawfully dismiss an administrator elected by the votes of the people, regardless of who or from which party he is, is presumptuous.
"Together we will get through these dark days. We will never be sad. We will never be enraged. But together, we will be determined. This case is not a case against me. This case is a country case. This case is a justice case. This case is a case of equality!
"In 2023, our children, youth will prevail. I love all of you. Everybody will prevail. Everything will be fine."
Kılıçdaroğlu: A blow to the nation's will
"Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation. This is a blow to the will of the people.
"Justice has become a fundamental problem of Türkiye. We as the Table of Six are determined to bring justice to this country.
"The verdict regarding İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu can never be accepted. Everybody should know that the decision regarding mayor Ekrem will not cause us to step an inch back.
"We will send off those who made injustice a rule. The Table of Six is determined, we will bring justice to this country."
Babacan: I reject the unlawfulness
"I know that all of you are enraged. All of us are enraged. I don't accept what happened. I reject the unlawfulness against my brother Ekrem İmamoğlu. I reject the unlawfulness against Canan Kaftancıoğlu. I reject the unlawfulness against Selahattin Demirtaş. I reject the government taking revenge in places where it lost elections by appointing trustees.
"This nation will give the best answer to those who ignore its will by judicial games. It will give the answer soon."
What happened?İmamoğlu, a member of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), won the mayoral elections in March 2019 and the repeat elections three months later, ending the 25-year rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its predecessors in the city. The first election, which İmamoğlu had won by less than 1 percent, was annulled at the request of the AKP due to "irregularities." He won the rerun election by nearly 10 percent. In 2020, İmamoğlu said, "Those who canceled the elections are fools," in response to a statement from the interior minister, who had also called him a "fool." Because of these remarks, a case was filed against him for "insulting public officials" in 2021. He was yesterday sentenced for insulting the country's top election officials. If the verdict is upheld, he will lose his seat as the mayor and will not be able to run for president in the next year's elections. One of the most popular opposition politicians, he has been mooted as a possible joint opposition candidate. |
(HA/TY/EMK/VK)