A Turkish prosecutor has requested a prison sentence exceeding 2,000 years for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Imamoglu, who denies the accusations, has been in custody since March and is awaiting trial on corruption charges, which also target his party, the largest in Turkey’s opposition.
According to an indictment presented by the head of the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, Imamoglu and 401 co-defendants are accused of involvement in a corruption network alleged to have caused losses of 160 billion Turkish lira (3.81 billion dollars) to the state over a 10-year period.
European mayors turned away
In August, Turkish authorities refused a request by a delegation of European mayors to visit Imamoglu in prison. The Ministry of Justice rejected the application from mayors who travelled to Istanbul intending to meet the detained Istanbul mayor at Silivri Prison and to present him with a Special Democracy Award.
The delegation included mayors from the Eurocities network and the Balkan Cities Network B40, among them Athens Mayor Haris Doukas. In the end, the award was received by Imamoglu’s wife, Dilek Imamoglu.
Outside Silivri Prison
Led by Barcelona’s mayor and Eurocities vice-president, Jaume Collboni, the mayors gathered outside Silivri Prison under the banner United European Mayors for the Defence of Democracy. Collboni said the visit was initiated by Ghent Mayor and Eurocities president Mathias De Clercq, stressing the network’s duty to develop and defend local democracy. “That duty brought us here, in front of Silivri Prison,” he said.
He added that more than 80 mayors signed a statement in March condemning Imamoglu’s arrest. “We remind, emphatically, that European mayors speak with one voice. We raise our common voice together to defend fundamental rights and democratic values,” he said.
Imamoglu sent a message for the award ceremony from prison: “This award belongs to all citizens who fight for justice and freedom in Turkey and around the world and who do not bow to authoritarian pressures,” he said.