ISTANBUL: Turkish prosecutors are seeking a jail sentence of up to four years for the mayor of Istanbul, who is accused of having insulted public officials, local media reported Friday.
Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition party has been mayor since 2019, when he pulled off a major upset in local elections.
It was the first time in 25 years that the opposition had won against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — or its predecessor from an Islamic-rooted political movement that dominated in Istanbul.
Erdogan rejected the initial result in favor of Imamoglu in March 2019 and there was another vote in Istanbul for mayor in June. Imamoglu won the second vote by a landslide.
The Istanbul public prosecutor accuses Imamoglu of having insulted Turkey’s top election body in November 2019 over the canceled first result, the private DHA news agency said.
Imamoglu has rejected the charge in a written statement, the agency said, quoting the mayor as saying: “The discourse was political, it was strong political criticism.”
The prosecutor has called for a prison term of between one year and four years on suspicion of “a series of public insults against officials because of their duties,” the agency added.
Imamoglu faces several other investigations. Earlier this month, prosecutors launched a probe over his allegedly “disrespectful” behavior during a visit to a shrine.
He also faces investigation over his opposition to Erdogan’s flagship project creating an alternative to the Bosphorus strait, a major world shipping lane.
The allegation here is that public money was improperly spent on posters questioning Erdogan’s project.
According to polls, Imamoglu is the strongest potential candidate against Erdogan in a presidential election expected in June 2023.
Prosecutors seek up to four-year jail term for Istanbul mayor
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Prosecutors seek up to four-year jail term for Istanbul mayor
- Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition party has been mayor since 2019, when he pulled off a major upset in local elections
- It was the first time in 25 years that the opposition had won against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Syrian government, Kurdish forces announce integration deal
- Under the agreement, forces that had amassed on front lines in the country’s north would pull back
- Security forces will deploy to the centers of the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli in the northeast
DAMASCUS: The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led group the Syrian Democratic Forces said on Friday they had agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire and a phased integration of military and administrative bodies into the Syrian state under a broad deal.
Under the agreement, forces that had amassed on front lines in the country’s north would pull back and Interior Ministry security forces will deploy to the centers of the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli in the northeast, both currently held by the SDF. Local security forces will be merged.
The sides announced the deal after Syrian government forces under President Ahmed Al-Sharaa captured swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the SDF this month, forcing the Kurdish forces to retreat into a shrinking enclave.
The agreement includes the formation of a military division that will include three SDF brigades, in addition to the formation of a brigade for forces in the SDF-held town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al-Arab, which will be affiliated to the governorate of Aleppo.
“The agreement aims to unify Syrian territory and achieve full integration in the region by strengthening cooperation between the concerned parties and unifying efforts to rebuild the country,” according to the deal as announced by the SDF.
A senior Syrian government official told Reuters the deal was final and had been reached late on Thursday night, and that implementation was to begin immediately.
