By The European Times | Created at 2026-08-31 10:32:01 | Updated at 2026-09-27 20:50:37
3 weeks ago
A Turkish court has issued a complete ban on the distribution and sale of a new book written by ousted and imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Turkish Minit website reported, quoted by BTA.
The court’s ruling, published on August 27, states that the ban concerns the book “The People Are My Witnesses” (“Millet Şahidimdir”), which outlines Imamoglu’s defense in the ongoing trial against him and 414 other defendants.
In the trial, Imamoglu is accused of forming an organized crime group, corruption, improper practices, bribery and a number of other crimes, with Turkish prosecutors seeking up to 2,352 years in prison for him and lesser sentences for dozens of his alleged accomplices.
The planned publication of the book is a response to an earlier court refusal to consider İmamoğlu’s defense in his ongoing trial. After the court ruling was announced, İmamoğlu announced on social media that police teams had entered the printing house where his new book was being prepared and seized all copies printed so far. “I will not give up, I will not be silent, and I will not surrender,” İmamoğlu wrote in a post on the subject, adding that millions will read his book.
Özgür Özel, the leader of the Turkish opposition New Party, also reacted to the ban, accusing the Turkish authorities of trying to hide İmamoğlu’s defense from the public and reiterated his call for İmamoğlu’s trial to be broadcast live on Turkish television.
Illustrative photo: pexels-hilmiisilak-18935452
