“There are foreigners who use a court decision (…) to direct the policy of our country,” said the president of the Turkish state
THE Erdogan criticized Western reactions as meddling in the judgment against the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglou, reacting for the first time to the international outcry that was caused.
“There are those who do political engineering through a verdict that has not been finalized. There are foreigners who use a court decision (…) to direct the policy of our country”, said the president of the Turkish state.
The sentencing of Ekrem Imamoglu to 2 years and 7 months in prison and deprivation of his political rights last week provoked a mobilization of the Turkish opposition and an international outcry.
THE Washington expressed “deep concern and disappointment” at the decision, the Berlin spoke of a “severe blow to democracy”, the France called on Turkey “to urgently reverse the negative trends in the field of the Rule of Law, democracy and respect for fundamental rights”, while the European Union criticized a “disproportionate” conviction.
Ekrem Imamoglu, who was elected mayor of Istanbul in two victorious votes in 2019 against the candidate of the Erdogan regime, considered a formidable candidate of the opposition.
He was accused of “insulting” the members of the electoral commission. In particular, he described as “stupid” the members of the committee that had taken care of canceling the results of the municipal election vote that had declared him the winner, causing a repeat of the vote and thus giving Ekrem Imamoglu the opportunity to extend his victory in the repeat vote three months later.
Despite the conviction, the 52-year-old mayor of the Turkish metropolis and a member of the People’s Republican Party will be able to remain mayor of Istanbul until the appeal is heard.
RES-EMP
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I have worked as a journalist for over 8 years. I have written for many different news outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNN. I have also published my own book on the history of the world. I am currently a freelance writer and editor, and I am always looking for new opportunities to write and edit interesting content.
