İstanbul mayor says probe against him 'funny,' defends HDP visits

Photo: Ekrem İmamoğlu/Twitter

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İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has said that a recent probe against him over his visits to the tomb of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) dismissed mayors was "funny" and "absurd."

"We are encountering funny things and apparently it'll continue," İmamoğlu told reporters today (May 5). "Our nation burst into laughter, made fun of those who took this decision," he said, referring to social media reactions to the probe.

The probe against the mayor was revealed yesterday by Barış Pehlivan, a columnist for daily Cumhuriyet. The Ministry of Interior later confirmed the news, stating that it had assigned a civil inspector as per a request by the İstanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors ordered a probe because of footage showing İmamoğlu walking with his hands folded behind the back at the tomb of Mehmed the Conqueror during a visit on the occasion of the anniversary of İstanbul's conquest, said the ministry.

"Are we going to file a criminal complaint when we see someone who is walking with his hands in the back from now on?" İmamoğlu asked. "This is the mind of public administrators. Their only concern is to fight Ekrem İmamoğlu."

İmamoğlu's visit to HDP mayors in Diyarbakır August 2019 after they were dismissed by the Ministry of Interior due to "terrorism-related" investigations against them is also subject to a probe for "praising a crime and criminals," according to the ministry.

İmamoğlu had expressed solidarity with the HDP mayors, who had been replaced with government-appointed trustees after winning elections in March 2019.

"I visited an elected mayor of the Republic of Turkey in the southeast. At that time, I expressed my thoughts about the trustee. I expressed this not only there, but everywhere," said the mayor. "I made statements regarding every issue against the nation's will. I am a person who believes in democracy." (DŞ/VK)