Washington, December 15 (HNA) – The United States is “deeply troubled and disappointed” by verdict against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, US Department Of State Spokeperson Ned Price said in a statement released on Thursday.
“The United States is deeply troubled and disappointed” by a Turkish court’s verdict against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, sentencing him to two years and seven months in prison and banning him from political activity” read the statement.
A Turkish court has sentenced Istanbul’s mayor to more than two years in prison and banned him from politics in a move that his supporters described as a politically motivated effort to sideline a high-profile rival of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ekrem İmamoğlu was sentenced to two years, seven months and 15 days in prison for calling members of Turkey’s supreme election council “fools” in a press release three years ago.
“His conviction is inconsistent with respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law” Price said, adding that, ” We remain gravely concerned by the continued judicial harassment of civil society, media, political and business leaders in Turkey, including through prolonged pretrial detention, overly broad claims of support for terrorism, and criminal insult cases.”
The people of Turkey deserve the ability to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms without fear of retribution, he said and went on as follows:
“The right to exercise the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association is enshrined in Turkey’s constitution, its international law obligations, and its OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) commitments. We urge the government to cease prosecutions under criminal ‘insult’ laws, and to respect the rights and freedoms of all Turkish citizens, including by ensuring an open environment for public debate.”