Thousands of people rallied in Turkey on Thursday (December 15) to oppose the conviction and political ban of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, chanting slogans criticizing President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party before elections next year.
As patriotic music blared, the crowd waved Turkish flags in front of Istanbul’s municipality building, from which was draped a huge portrait of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s founder whose secular principles Erdogan’s opponents say are under threat.
A Turkish court on Wednesday (December 14) sentenced Imamoglu, a popular rival to Erdogan, to two years and seven months in prison, which like the ban must be confirmed by an appeals court.
Imamoglu was convicted of insulting public officials in a speech he made after he won Istanbul’s election in 2019.
