17.10.2026 21:30
Completing his four-day defense in the İBB Case with 436 defendants, Ekrem İmamoğlu made headlines with his response to the question posed to him at the hearing about the note “Don’t sell us out.” After the judge asked about Adem Soytekin’s account regarding the note in question, İmamoğlu stated that he had not written the note, said “Standing tall is a nice phrase,” and made a striking reference through the horon.
Ekrem İmamoğlu completed his defense on the fourth day of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) case with 436 defendants and denied the accusations against him. During the hearing, attention was drawn to İmamoğlu’s response via horon when the judge asked him about a note containing the words “Adem, stand tall, don’t sell us out,” which Adem Soytekin claimed had been read out to him.
“STANDING TALL IS A NICE PHRASE”
In court, the judge asked İmamoğlu about the note containing the statement “Adem, stand tall, don’t sell us out,” which Adem Soytekin said was shown and read to him.
In response to the question, İmamoğlu used the phrase “If I said it, I said it.” Stating that he did not write such a note, İmamoğlu continued his remarks with a horon reference.
İmamoğlu said, “Standing tall is a nice phrase… The horon is danced upright there too, Mr. President. Maybe that’s where it came to my mind.”
HE COMPLETED HIS FOUR-DAY DEFENSE
İmamoğlu, who defended himself for four days in the IBB case in which 436 defendants are on trial, did not accept the accusations against him. Making assessments on different topics during the hearing, İmamoğlu completed his defense at the end of the fourth day.