Turkish court sentences Erdogan rival to jail for insulting officials

A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a popular rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, to more than two years in prison and imposed a political ban for insulting public officials, in a ruling set to go to an appeal.

Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was tried over a 2019 speech in which he said those who annulled the Istanbul local elections at the time were "fools." The charge carried a maximum prison sentence of four years.