12.02.2025 13:50
The indictment prepared following the determination that Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu used criminal expressions against Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek has been accepted. İmamoğlu will stand trial on April 11, facing a prison sentence of up to 7 years and 4 months. It is noteworthy that İmamoğlu, whose "tender manipulation" case has also been postponed to April 11, will attend two hearings on the same day.
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The trial of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is facing a prison sentence of up to 7 years and 4 months due to statements he made about Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek and his family during a panel he attended, will begin on April 11.
The indictment prepared following the determination that İmamoğlu used criminal expressions against Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during his speech at a panel was accepted by the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court. The court decided that the first hearing will be held on April 11.
ON THE SAME DAY, 2 HEARINGS WILL BE HELD AT ONCE
The trial in which Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is being prosecuted for "manipulating a tender" along with 6 others during his tenure as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü was also postponed to April 11. The fact that İmamoğlu will attend 2 hearings on the same day has created an agenda in a short time.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment prepared by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek is listed as the "victim." The indictment notes that an investigation was initiated ex officio after it was determined that İmamoğlu used criminal expressions against Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during his speech at a panel.
The indictment highlights that Gürlek was threatened by the publication of his personal information and photo in various media outlets and social media accounts of terrorist organizations, stating that İmamoğlu's speech targeted Gürlek, committing the crime of "targeting individuals who have participated in the fight against terrorism."
It was emphasized in the indictment that İmamoğlu's publicly used statements were aimed at belittling the victim Akın Gürlek, who holds a public office, and were of a derogatory nature. It is pointed out that the expression in question exceeded the limits of freedom of thought and that the statements and speech in question aimed to harm the individual's dignity as a whole and did not qualify as an expression of opinion, indicating that the act could not be legally protected in the context of freedom of expression.
"IT HAS BEEN UNDERSTOOD THAT THE SUSPECT HAS COMMITTED THE CRIME OF THREAT"
The indictment states that in İmamoğlu's speech, expressions were used that targeted Chief Prosecutor Gürlek and his family members, indicating that they would be harmed or subjected to evil, and it is evaluated that "the act is objectively suitable, sufficient, and appropriate to create fear in the victim, and it has been understood that the suspect has committed the crime of threat."
When the two incidents are evaluated together, it is stated that Ekrem İmamoğlu aimed to exert pressure on the judiciary and its members by using his position and influence publicly, and to influence in favor of the party he belongs to. The indictment requests that İmamoğlu be sentenced to imprisonment for 2 years and 8 months to 7 years and 4 months for the crimes of "publicly insulting a public official due to his duty," "threat," and "targeting individuals who have participated in the fight against terrorism."
Additionally, it is requested that the provision of Article 53, paragraph 1 of the Turkish Penal Code, which states that "a person who is convicted of a crime intentionally shall be deprived of the right to hold a permanent, temporary, or intermittent public office as a legal consequence of the prison sentence; in this context, he/she shall be deprived of employment in all public offices and services subject to appointment or election by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, or by institutions and organizations under the supervision and control of the state, province, municipality, village, or these institutions," be applied to İmamoğlu.
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