Jailed Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu Sentenced to Over 2 Years in Separate Insult Case

An Istanbul court sentenced jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to 2 years and 1 month in prison for publicly insulting former Tuzla district mayor Şadi Yazıcı, in a retrial of a case dating to an October 25, 2022 wastewater plant opening where İmamoğlu called Yazıcı's conduct 'discourteous.' İmamoğlu had won two prior acquittals in the same case before an appeals court ordered a retrial on procedural grounds. The court also imposed an Article 53 political ban restricting his ability to hold public office; the ban and prison term are not immediately enforceable and take effect only if upheld on appeal. İmamoğlu called the ruling invalid, saying 'appointed judges cannot decide my fate.' The conviction is separate from — and adds to — the mass corruption trial with 412 co-defendants that has been underway since March 2026, in which prosecutors are seeking 2,430+ years, and a parallel espionage indictment.