İmamoğlu reacts to Aziz İhsan Aktaş trial and Ertan Yıldız: 'The final act of an extrajudicial execution'

Elected Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is being held at Silivri Prison, reacted in a message shared on his social media account to the sentences handed down in the Aziz İhsan Aktaş trial and to Ertan Yıldız, a witness seeking reduced sentencing who testified in the IMM case.

"No justice will come from this Silivri", İmamoğlu began his statement, emphasizing that the political pressure on the judiciary had produced its first result. İmamoğlu stated, "Sentences were handed down to our mayors who were subjected to character assassination for months and in whose innocence I wholeheartedly believe. I hope higher courts will correct this mistake."

Touching upon the events that took place the day before in the IMM case, İmamoğlu directed harsh criticism at the cross-examination of the witness seeking reduced sentencing, Ertan Yıldız. İmamoğlu stated that the informant, whom he described as the "so-called backbone" of the case, gave contradictory statements during the interrogation.

In his statement, İmamoğlu noted that the court prevented lawyers from asking questions, stating that the reason given was that the judge did not find the questions appropriate. İmamoğlu said, "It was not found appropriate to ask 'unwanted' questions to the person who caused many people to remain imprisoned for 18 months."

At the end of his message, İmamoğlu included the following remarks: "It is difficult to call this ongoing mise-en-scène a trial. It is clear that we are no longer watching a trial, but the final act of an extrajudicial execution for which the verdict has long been decided!"

NO JUSTICE WILL COME FROM THIS SİLİVRİ!

The political pressure on the judiciary produced its first result on Monday. Sentences were handed down to our mayors who were subjected to character assassination for months and in whose innocence I wholeheartedly believe. I hope higher courts will correct this mistake.

As for the IMM case, yesterday…

— Cumhurbaşkanlığı Aday Ofisi (@CA_iletisim) August 26, 2026

News Source: 12punto