The case of Ekrem İmamoğlu against 'Akın Gürlek' has been postponed to June 16.

Ekrem İmamoğlu said in court, "I will mess up the forehead of anyone who tries to associate me with terrorism. I am a son of this homeland."

The trial against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is detained in Silivri, regarding his remarks directed at Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, has been postponed to June 16. The case seen at the 14th Heavy Penal Court of Istanbul had been moved from Çağlayan to a courtroom in Silivri two days prior. Many of İmamoğlu's family members and numerous CHP members of parliament attended the hearing in Silivri. Speaking at the hearing, İmamoğlu stated, "Years ago, I followed the Ergenekon conspiracy case within this campus. I am detained today because I won against the will that says whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. I am here because I won the Istanbul elections three times. I am here because I was determined as a candidate for president in the next election by the will of fifteen and a half million people. I am here because I stood against lies, fraud, and pillaging while managing the city." Reacting to the indictment, İmamoğlu said: "I will mess up the forehead of anyone who tries to associate me with terrorism. I am a son of this homeland. Whoever looks at me sees the Turkish Flag; whoever looks at me sees Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Whoever tries to associate me with terrorism will know their place. I strongly condemn those who want to associate me with terrorism." The IMM Mayor later called for the release of university students who were detained during protests related to him. Subsequently, the objections of İmamoğlu's lawyers regarding the transfer of the hearing to Silivri, claiming it violated the 'natural judge principle', the publicity of the trial, and ultimately the right to a fair trial, were rejected. On the other hand, the court accepted the request of Akın Gürlek's lawyer to join the case regarding 'threat and insult' allegations. However, it was decided to reject the request for participation regarding the allegation of 'targeting individuals who have served in the fight against terrorism' on the grounds that Gürlek was not harmed by this accusation.

What had happened? A probe was initiated against İmamoğlu on January 20, Monday, while he was speaking at a panel titled "The Politicization of Modern Law and Justice" for 'threatening and targeting those who have served in the fight against terrorism.' During this event, İmamoğlu made the following remarks regarding Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek: "Look, chief prosecutor, I am telling you. We will not be of any benefit to you, your mind is rotten... We will tear the mind that governs you out of the minds of this nation to save even your children from these treatments. Don't forget this. We will tear it out so that nobody knocks on your children's door, so that no one takes your children from their homes in the early morning. We will tear out the paths and methods that pass through your mentality from every environment of this homeland so that we can ensure peace even in your home, for the future of your children. This is our concern." Minutes after he made these remarks, a probe was initiated against İmamoğlu during the panel. On January 31, İmamoğlu gave a statement regarding the investigation, and the indictment was quickly prepared. In the indictment, Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek was listed as a 'victim.' A prison sentence of two years and eight months to seven years and four months was sought for İmamoğlu on charges of 'public insult against a public official due to their duty', 'threat', and 'targeting individuals who have served in the fight against terrorism.' A political ban is also being sought. The prosecution in the case requests the application of the first paragraph of Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code, which states, "A person, as a legal consequence of being sentenced to imprisonment for a crime they have intentionally committed, is deprived of the ability to take on a permanent, temporary, or intermittent public duty; in this context, they are barred from being a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey or from being employed in any position or service provided by state, provincial, municipal, village or institutions and organizations under their supervision, that are subject to appointment or election." This means a political ban.

The trial regarding the tender also takes place today. Following İmamoğlu's victory in the Istanbul elections in 2019, lawsuits and investigations against him came one after another. In the lawsuits opened in the last five years, accusations against the IMM Mayor included 'insulting a public official', 'tampering with a tender', and 'misusing his duty.' The IMM Mayor will also appear in court on Friday regarding a tender case from his tenure as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü.

Detention process: İmamoğlu was detained a day after his diploma from Istanbul University was annulled on March 18, and later arrested on March 23 in connection with a 'corruption' investigation. All of this came after recent investigations against the IMM Mayor and before the CHP's presidential candidate primary. At the beginning of these investigations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also stated, "They know very well that there are bigger troubles ahead. This is the reason for their panic." However, on the same day as his detention, İmamoğlu was announced as the CHP's presidential candidate with nearly 15 million votes. Following this, he was suspended from his position as the IMM Mayor by a decision from the Ministry of Interior. CHP City Council Member Nuri Aslan was elected as the Deputy Mayor of IMM in İmamoğlu's place. The mass protests triggered by İmamoğlu's detention and subsequent arrest turned into the largest demonstrations seen in Turkey in over a decade. The police responded to the protests with tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. In many major cities across the country, including Istanbul, security forces are intervening harshly against the demonstrators.