Politics
Imamoğlu handed prison sentence for insult, threat charges
Former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was sentenced to a total of one year and eight months in prison on charges of “insulting a public official” and “making threats” over remarks he made about Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during a public panel. He was acquitted of the charge of “targeting individuals involved in counterterrorism efforts.”
The prison sentence must be confirmed by two appeals courts.
It’s the second time Imamoğlu has been convicted of insulting public officials. In 2022, Imamoğlu was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticizing election board officials over a decision to cancel the 2019 Istanbul elections. He has appealed that sentence, but it has not yet been reviewed.
The 2022 conviction, if upheld, could prevent Imamoğlu from participating in future elections. Istanbul University annulled Imamoğlu’s university diploma in March, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president.
Since October last year, police have detained more than 500 people, over 200 of whom were then jailed pending trial, under investigations into municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Wednesday’s hearing was held inside a courthouse-prison complex in Istanbul’s Silivri district, a site often used for high-profile and politically sensitive trials and where Imamoğlu is currently being held.
The courtroom was packed with observers, including CHP Chair Özgür Özel, Imamoğlu’s wife Dilek Imamoğlu, party officials, lawmakers and foreign diplomats.
During his final defense, Imamoğlu criticized the judicial process and made references to Türkiye’s economy and the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, a government-led effort launched in late 2024. “Our history is filled with steps taken toward a democratic, prosperous and peaceful future for all – Turks and Kurds alike,” he said. “If this process is guided by law and democracy, Türkiye will shine like a pole star in the Middle East.”
In addition, the court ruled that Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code should be applied, which restricts certain civil rights of convicted individuals, including the right to hold public office.
Prosecutors had requested a sentence of up to seven years and four months for Imamoğlu on three charges: insulting a public official, threatening and targeting a person involved in counterterrorism. The court’s final ruling fell short of the maximum penalty but may still have political consequences due to the imposition of Article 53, which could impact his eligibility for public office, pending appeal.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan strongly condemned Israel’s recent attacks on Syria for threatening regional stability as he reiterated Türkiye’s firm commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity.
“Israel has used the Druze as a pretext to extend its lawlessness into Syria,” Erdoğan told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara on Thursday.
Erdoğan said the biggest problem in the region was Israel’s aggression: “I want to state this once again, clearly and directly: Israel is a lawless, unruly, unprincipled, spoiled, pampered and greedy terrorist state.”
The president warned that attempts to sabotage the cease-fire recently achieved in Syria with Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts show that “Israel does not want peace in Syria.”
“At this stage, the biggest problem in our region is Israel’s aggression … If the monster is not stopped immediately, it will not hesitate to throw first our region, then the world, into flames.”
He reminded that 58,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023 and said that Tel Aviv, beyond Palestine, also attacked Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.
“There too, they massacred innocent people and bombed civilian settlements.”
Reaffirming Ankara’s longstanding position, Erdoğan emphasized that protecting Syria’s territorial integrity remains Türkiye’s core policy.
“The preservation of our neighbor Syria’s territorial integrity is our fundamental policy. We did not accept its division in the past, and we will absolutely not accept it today or in the future,” he said.
He also stressed the wider implications of peace in Syria for the region: “A stable Syria will contribute to stability across the entire region, while instability will place a heavy burden on all neighboring countries.”
Erdoğan held a phone call with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa earlier on Thursday to discuss recent developments in Syria following Israeli airstrikes. The Presidency said Erdoğan told al-Sharaa that Israel’s attacks were unacceptable and a threat to the entire region, and Ankara welcomed a cease-fire reached with Syria’s Druze. Al-Sharaa thanked Erdoğan for Türkiye’s support in protecting Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, it added.
Ankara played a critical role in facilitating the cease-fire following Israeli strikes that threatened to endanger peace not only in Syria but the whole region, sources said Thursday.
In the process, Türkiye has undertaken significant efforts and diplomacy, engaging with several countries as well as Syrian officials.
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalın discussed the situation with interlocutors in the U.S., Syria and Israel, security sources said. He was also in close contact with the U.S. Special Representative for Syria, Thomas Barrack. The leader of the Druze community was another figure with whom Kalın has negotiated to achieve the cease-fire.
‘Attacks undermine reconstruction’
Similarly, Türkiye’s U.N. envoy strongly condemned Israel’s continued military attacks in Syria and called for international support for Syria’s path toward peace and national reconciliation.
“After 14 years of suffering, the Syrian people now have a chance for peace and stability,” Ahmet Yıldız said Thursday during a U.N. Security Council meeting.
“Despite many challenges, they have taken swift steps toward this goal. They have achieved remarkable progress in seven months,” he added.
He said Syria’s leadership has demonstrated “its commitment to an inclusive political transition and national reconciliation under Syrian ownership,” engaging in dialogue with diverse groups in society.
“From the beginning, Türkiye has supported Syria’s efforts for peace, recovery and reconstruction,” said Yıldız, adding that “many countries have taken a similar approach. We are observing growing international alignment in this direction.”
Criticizing Israel’s actions against Syria, he said: “However, Israel has continued its attacks relentlessly since Dec. 8, seeking to obstruct Syria’s path to stability.”
“Israel’s ongoing aggression directly undermines Syria’s rebuilding efforts on the basis of social cohesion,” he said, noting that Israeli “interventions and provocative statements threaten the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“These attacks targeting Syria’s Presidential Palace and Ministry of Defense have clearly demonstrated that Israel has no interest in the peace and stability of Syria or the region,” Yıldız added.
Urging all member states to reject Israeli aggression, he warned that Israel’s “attacks destabilize the region and increase civilian casualties and displacement.”
“It is also concerning that the scale and geographic scope of these attacks have surpassed those previously directed at the fallen regime,” he said.
He stressed the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty and uphold the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, concluding that “it is the duty of the international community to demonstrate that Syrians will not walk this path alone.”
Twenty-three suspects, who were detained in an operation targeting the current financial structure of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) across nine provinces, were referred to the courthouse on Friday.
The procedures of the 26 suspects detained as part of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into the current financial structure of FETÖ have been completed at a police station. Twenty-three of the suspects, among whom is Zeki Doruk, the owner of major Turkish retail chains HAKMAR and TATBAK, were referred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. The remaining three suspects were released following their procedures at the police station.
Doruk left his entire fortune to FETÖ, according to a handwritten will discovered in his home during a joint anti-terror operation, authorities said a day earlier.
Doruk was among several suspects detained in a coordinated operation carried out on July 15 across nine provinces by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Istanbul Financial Crimes Department, targeting FETÖ’s current financial network.
During a search of his residence, law enforcement discovered a locked safe containing large quantities of gold and jewelry, as well as a personal will and a religious invocation. The will, written in Doruk’s own handwriting, stated that he was bequeathing all his assets – including HAKMAR and TATBAK – to FETÖ, and instructed that the zakat (charitable giving) from his businesses be directed to the group under the guise of “the Hizmet movement.”
Authorities also found a so-called “talisman prayer,” believed to have been written by FETÖ’s deceased ringleader Fetullah Gülen himself and distributed to select members of the group’s secretive inner circle. Doruk had reportedly kept the prayer along with his will in the safe, telling associates, “It was Gülen who elevated me, my fortune is his.”
When first detained, Doruk deliberately gave the wrong combination to HAKMAR’s corporate safe to prevent access, officials said.
A court-appointed trustee has now been assigned to manage the affairs of both HAKMAR and TATBAK, as well as an additional 19 companies owned by Doruk that were found to have funneled finances to FETÖ’s domestic and international networks.
Authorities say the businessman was regularly transferring funds to FETÖ operatives in Türkiye under the instructions of the group’s overseas leadership.
Doruk’s 22 companies now under trustee control include firms operating in agriculture, education, food, retail and construction.
FETÖ is behind the defeated coup attempt, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 were wounded, was plotted and carried out by FETÖ.
Along with the 2016 coup attempt, FETÖ is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Türkiye has targeted the terrorist group’s active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016. However, the group maintains a vast network, including infiltrators suspected of still operating within Turkish institutions.
FETÖ backers in army ranks and civil institutions have disguised their loyalty, as operations and investigations have indicated since the 2016 coup attempt. FETÖ is implicated in a string of cases related to its alleged plots to imprison its critics, money laundering, fraud and forgery.
The terrorist group faces operations almost daily as investigators still try to unravel its massive network of infiltrators everywhere. In 2024 alone, police apprehended hundreds of FETÖ suspects across the country, including fugitives on western borders trying to flee to Europe.
270 arrested in Izmir
Meanwhile, another 270 suspects with links to FETÖ’s financial structure were arrested in operations centered in Izmir.
Under the coordination of Necati Kayaközü, a deputy chief prosecutor responsible for the Terrorism and Organized Crimes and Organized Crimes Bureaus of the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, teams from the Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Branches of the Provincial Police Department are continuing their efforts to expose FETÖ’s activities related to “Violating Law No. 6415 on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism.”
Police squads launched simultaneous operations in 60 provinces, centered in Izmir, on Tuesday morning.
The investigation has identified 78 suspects abroad, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend 23 suspects.
Türkiye on Thursday strongly condemned Israel’s reported attempts to change the historical and legal status of Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, calling it a violation of international law and an assault on Palestinian rights and human values.
“We reject Israel’s attempts to alter the status of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and to usurp the authority of the Palestinian people,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry urged relevant United Nations agencies, particularly UNESCO, along with the broader international community, to take concrete steps to stop what it described as Israel’s illegal and provocative actions.
Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, is one of the most sacred sites for Muslims and has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories for decades.
Türkiye emphasized that any unilateral moves by Israel to change the character or administrative authority of the site would further inflame tensions in the region and undermine efforts for peace and coexistence.
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chair Zafer Sırakaya also reacted strongly to the move, declaring that the Harma al-Ibrahim Mosque is a “shared heritage not only of Palestinians but of the entire Islamic world.”
In a statement shared on social media, Sırakaya stated that Türkiye “strongly condemns the steps taken by Israel’s war cabinet against the Haram al-Ibrahim Mosque,” underscoring the deep concern these actions have provoked.
Sırakaya emphasized that such practices constitute a clear violation of international law, particularly in light of the obligation to preserve the status of holy sites located within the occupied Palestinian territories as defined by the 1967 borders.
“Unilateral attempts to change the status of this holy site clearly contradict the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Convention, and the relevant resolutions of the U.N. Security Council. The international community, particularly responsible actors at the United Nations and UNESCO, must take an active and resolute stance against such steps by Israel,” Sırakaya said.
He further warned that any effort to impose a de facto situation on the ground that undermines the vision of a two-state solution and endangers peace in the region must be abandoned immediately.
Türkiye and the AK Party, he said, will continue to stand firmly with the Palestinian people and, as defenders of international law, will undertake all necessary diplomatic efforts to preserve the historical and religious status of the Haram al-Ibrahim Mosque and prevent further violations of the sanctity of holy sites.
Türkiye on Thursday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives caused by heavy rains and flash floods in Pakistan’s Punjab province, extending heartfelt condolences to the people and government of the country.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to heavy rains and floods in Punjab province of Pakistan,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry conveyed Türkiye’s solidarity with its “brotherly” nation, saying, “We wish Allah’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and extend our condolences to the people of Pakistan.”
Monsoon rains have triggered severe flooding in parts of Punjab in recent days, leading to dozens of fatalities and widespread damage. Emergency efforts are underway as authorities continue rescue and relief operations.
Türkiye and Pakistan enjoy favorable relations. The High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) is the primary platform at the leadership level, which has been instrumental in further cementing bilateral relations.
Ankara and Islamabad have also strengthened bilateral defense and security cooperation in recent years.
Over 150 Daesh suspects have been arrested in counterterrorism operations across 28 provinces in Türkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday.
Yerlikaya wrote on social media that the operations were carried out in Adana, Antalya, Aydın, Bursa, Çankırı, Çorum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kırşehir, Kocaeli, Kütahya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Nevşehir, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, Yalova and Zonguldak provinces.
“In operations conducted by our gendarmerie against the Daesh terrorist organization in 28 provinces over the past two weeks, 153 suspected terrorists were apprehended. The operations determined that the suspects were terrorist members, had ties to the terrorist organization, financed aid payments and engaged in terrorist propaganda through their social media accounts,” he said.
Yerlikaya pointed out that the fight against terrorism is not limited only to security forces on the ground but is led with a complex structure including security, intelligence, communication and international cooperation.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which faces security risks from multiple terrorist groups and was one of the first countries to declare it a terrorist group in 2013.
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with Daesh who were planning attacks on churches and synagogues as well as the Iraqi Embassy.
Terrorists from Daesh and other groups, such as the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG, rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye.
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with United Nations sanctions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Türkiye-Russia bilateral ties and regional developments, the Presidential Communications Directorate said Thursday.
In a statement following the call, Erdoğan stressed the significance of resuming a third round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv and offered to continue hosting future negotiations in Istanbul if both sides agree on suitable dates.
Erdoğan also expressed concern over recent clashes in Syria’s southern Suwayda province after the withdrawal of regime forces, warning that the violence threatens regional stability.
He underscored the importance of respecting Syria’s sovereignty and said Israel must refrain from further violations.
The president also reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to supporting peace and stability in Syria, emphasizing that Ankara aims to help the war-torn country get back on its feet as soon as possible.
For his part, Putin also expressed deep concern over the clashes in Syria’s Suwayda, the Kremlin said in a statement.
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