On July 16, 2025, a Turkish court sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening Istanbul's Chief Public Prosecutor, Akın Gürlek. The charges stemmed from remarks İmamoğlu made in January, accusing Gürlek of targeting opposition figures through politically motivated investigations. İmamoğlu has denied the charges and plans to appeal the verdict.
This conviction adds to a series of legal challenges faced by İmamoğlu. In December 2022, he was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for insulting members of Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council. These legal proceedings have intensified political tensions in Turkey, with İmamoğlu's supporters viewing the charges as politically motivated attempts to undermine his position as a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election.
Following the recent conviction, protests erupted in Istanbul and other cities, with demonstrators expressing concerns over judicial independence and the state of democracy in Turkey. The government has maintained that the judiciary operates independently and that the legal actions against İmamoğlu are based on legitimate charges.
İmamoğlu's legal battles and the subsequent public unrest highlight the ongoing political challenges in Turkey, particularly regarding the balance between judicial actions and political freedoms.