Text size
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sued Istanbul's main opposition leader and powerful mayor on Friday for alleged slander, in a sharp legal coup against his political rivals.
Filed Friday, the two separate lawsuits targeted Ozgur Ozel, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, also a senior party official.
The trial raises the possibility that one or both of them could be prosecuted for insulting the president under article 299 of the penal code, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
The accusation has been widely used to silence Erdogan's political rivals, as well as journalists, human rights defenders and members of the public.
Court documents cited by Anadolou accuse Ozel of having “publicly insulted the president” and “clearly committing a crime against the reputation and honor of the presidency.”
The second claimed that Imamoglu had made “unfounded accusations, including slander, which violated Erdogan’s rights” and had “acted with the aim of humiliating the president in front of the public”.
Each lawsuit seeks one million Turkish liras ($30,000) in damages from the accused.
The lawsuit focuses on comments the two men allegedly made Thursday during a protest in Istanbul's Esenyurt neighborhood after its opposition mayor was arrested for alleged ties to the banned Kurdish militant group of the PKK.
The move against two opposition figures comes as Turkey's strongman appears to be looking for ways to amend the constitution so he can run again in the 2028 presidential election.
It's unclear exactly what remarks prompted the lawsuit, but Ozer, who took over as CHP leader just a year ago, quickly fired back.
Erdogan “pretends to have been insulted without any insult being made, and tries to make himself a victim… as if it was not he who had insulted and victimized Esenyurt” by arresting its mayor, a- he told journalists.
Asked if he thought authorities would try to overthrow Imamoglu as they did with the mayor of Esenyurt, Ozel said it was unclear.
But if they did, the opposition would fight: “We will challenge them,” he promised.
Imamoglu, who was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, is often touted as Erdogan's biggest political rival and is widely expected to run in the 2028 presidential election.
He is considered one of Turkey's most popular politicians.
Two years ago, Imamoglu was sued for defamation after calling Istanbul election officials “idiots” during the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election.
A court found him guilty of insulting a public official and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison, banning him from political activity for the duration of his sentence, sparking an international outcry.
Although Imamoglu appealed, the trial meant it was too risky for him to run in the 2023 presidential election.
But he continued to serve as mayor while the appeals court considered its decision.
At the time, Erdogan insisted he had nothing to do with the trial.
The 70-year-old Turkish leader launched his own political career in the 1990s when he was elected mayor of Istanbul.
str-hmw/rlp
