Fuck the Kings Presidents and Politicians,
they have no clothes anymore...
Erdogan Rival Handed Nearly 3-Years In Prison For "Insulting" Election Authority
To the surprise of no one... given the now years-long crackdown on all
media including internet and social apps by President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and his Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party, a main
political rival of Erdogan has just been issued a stiff prison
sentence by a Turkish court for mere political speech.
On Wednesday Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was sentenced to 2 years 7
months and 15 days in prison by a Turkish court for "insulting the
election authority," according to national media.
Erdogan rival Ekrem Imamoglu, via Reuters.
Specifically Imamoglu was accused of unlawful speech directed against
Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, which the mayor has denied,
instead saying it's part of a political purge backed by Erdogan
loyalists.
"They have stopped fighting honestly and bravely. They are resorting
to all kinds of tricks to protect their order," he told protesters who
gathered in the capital in support of his innocence. "This decision is
proof that the rulers of this country have no aim to bring justice and
democracy to the country," he also said.
According to the government allegation cited in the Associated Press:
The mayor denied insulting members of the electoral council,
insisting his words were a response to Interior Minister Suleyman
Soylu calling him "a fool" and accusing Imamoglu of criticizing Turkey
during a visit to the European Parliament.
"The will of 16 million Istanbulites is on trial," the mayor’s office
said in a firm statement just before Imamoglu's sentencing. "They are
seeking to deprive the mayor of Istanbul of his political rights."
The supposed initial "insult" that Imamoglu is "guilty" of came after
Erdogan's AK Party successfully achieved a new election after Imamoglu
won a March 2019 upset for Istanbul mayor (he won the 'do-over'
election too). It was considered a huge, historic defeat of the AK
Party. And then, as AP recounts:
Imamoglu was charged with insulting senior public officials after
he described canceling legitimate elections as an act of "foolishness"
on Nov. 4, 2019.
Erdogan has become a political superstar when he was slapped with
6 months jail sentence and a political ban two decades ago.
İmamoğlu has already faced one election cancellation which made
him a hero. Now a possible political ban?
Not very smart for whoever is behind it
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 14, 2022
For this reason the obvious heavy-handed politically motivated
prosecution is expected to result in fierce backlash from Imamoglu's
supporters and other opposition groups, possibly resulting in
large-scale protests and unrest. Erdogan and his political network
have have spent years stacking the judiciary with loyalists, who have
in turned worked to stamp out dissent, even in the areas of political
speech - as has been made clear with Imamoglu's nearly 3-year prison
sentence.
What's more is that the court "imposed a political ban that could lead
to his removal from office," according to the AP, ahead of the
upcoming June 2023 presidential election.
In the meantime countless journalists as well as Kurdish and Armenian
activists have also languished in Turkish prisons, given over the past
decade mere speech-related "crimes" have been relentlessly clamped
down on.
