JAKARTA - Thousands of people rallied in Turkey on Thursday to oppose the punishment and political ban on Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Immoglu, chanting slogans criticizing President Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AK Party.
A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Immoglu, President Erdogan's popular rival, two years and seven months in prison, to what the appeals court said. The ruling drew widespread condemnation at home and abroad of abuse of democracy.
On Thursday evening, media reports said prosecutors in the case had launched a lawsuit against the ruling seeking a longer prison sentence for Immoglu. No further details are available at this time.
The crowd waved the Turkish flag in front of Istanbul's city building. "The right, the law, justice.... It will come time for AKP to be held accountable," the crowd shouted.
The presidential and parliamentary elections next year, to be held in June, could be one of President Erdogan's biggest political challenges to President Erdogan's rule over two decades, as the Turkish people grapple with soaring living costs and the fall of the lira fell to record lows against the dollar this week.
"The government is afraid and that is why there is such a verdict. No one can stop this nation," said Filiz Kumbasar, who traveled to a demonstration from Duzce, a city 200 km (125 miles) from Istanbul, a Turkish trade center inhabited by 16 million people.
Immoglu was convicted of insulting public officials in his speech after he won the Istanbul elections in 2019. Critics say the Turkish court is subject to President Erdogan's will. The government says the judiciary is independent.
"You've beaten them twice and you're going to do it again," Immaglu told the crowd, referring to an early 2019 vote he won, but canceled and re-elections followed and he also won.
"All 16 million citizens of Istanbul, our nation and our great Turkish alliance are behind me. We will change this order in the election next year," he said.
The opposition alliance of six parties formed against President Erdogan, led by the People's Party of the Republic (CHP) led by Immavolu, has yet to agree on a presidential candidate. Imamoglu has been debated as a challenger and opinion poll shows he will beat incumbent Erdogan.
The court's ruling, if enforced, would prohibit him from running.
"We are here today to protect our rights and the voices of millions of people from Istanbul. We are here because we want to live in a country that has a rule of law," said Aslihan Gulhan, who works in the tourism sector.
Immaglu was tried for a speech in which he said those who canceled the initial 2019 vote, in which he defeated the AK candidate, were "stupid".
Imamoglu said his statement was a response to the Minister of Home Affairs, Suleyman Soylu, who he said used the same language against him.
It is known that Imamoglu's victory in the re-voting ended the 25-year AKP administration in Istanbul and its predecessors.
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