A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul and prominent opposition figure, to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening a public official, in a case that predates his controversial arrest earlier this year, says AP.

The court found İmamoğlu guilty over comments he made on January 20 criticizing Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gürlek, accusing him of conducting politically motivated investigations targeting opposition figures. While İmamoğlu was convicted of insult and threats, the court acquitted him of publicly identifying Gürlek with intent to make him a target.

The 54-year-old mayor—widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival—has denied all accusations and is expected to appeal the ruling.

This latest conviction comes on top of a first-instance prison sentence of 2 years, 7 months, and 15 days handed down in a 2019 case, where İmamoğlu referred to members of the Supreme Electoral Council as “fools” after they annulled his initial mayoral victory. That decision forced a rerun election, which he won again.

İmamoğlu has been detained since March 23 as part of a separate corruption probe that also led to the arrest of several mayors and members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The crackdown has sparked the largest street protests in Turkey in over a decade, with citizens accusing the government of silencing dissent ahead of national elections.

Akin Gürlek, the prosecutor at the center of the latest case, is a highly controversial figure. He has played a key role in the conviction of opposition politicians, including Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtaş, and is closely associated with judicial proceedings against CHP officials. Gürlek previously served as Deputy Minister of Justice.

Legal experts and international observers have raised concerns over the increasing use of the judiciary to suppress political opposition in Turkey. The CHP leadership, including party head Özgür Özel, has publicly condemned the court’s decisions and accused Gürlek of abusing his position. Özel, himself facing legal action for remarks against the prosecutor, recently described Gürlek as a “roving guillotine.”

İmamoğlu’s ongoing imprisonment and mounting legal challenges are seen by many as part of a broader authoritarian drift in Turkey, where the lines between judicial independence and executive influence appear increasingly blurred.