Two women sentenced to two years in prison for throwing eggs at Ankara mayor

Two women have been sentenced to two years and seven months in prison on charges of “threatening” and “public insult of a civil servant,” after throwing eggs at Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek two years ago.

However, the court has postponed the execution of the sentence, stating that both women, identified only as N.U. and N.M., “expressed their regret” over the incident during their testimonies.

Nevertheless, both women defended themselves and said they committed their act to protest against Gökçek’s "outrageous" statements regarding abortion.

The controversial Ankara mayor, known for waging a series of Twitter crusades, attracted opprobrium two years ago for his statements criticizing abortion. “Why does the baby suffer from the mistake of the person who will become its mother? The mother should kill herself instead,” he said.

N.U. told the court that she did not consider that her act amounted to a crime, saying “I used my democratic right to protest.”

For her part, N.M. slammed the legal process, saying she believed it was the right to abortion that was being judged.

Prosecutors had demanded up to 10 years in prison for both women, but they were given the suspended sentence and were also fined 500 Turkish Liras for “attempting to damage public property.”

Gökçek has made a habit out of suing Twitter users who respond to him irreverently, or engage in any protest against him in person. Despite the controversy surrounding him, he was re-elected in the March local elections and will soon be marking a staggering 25 years in the helm as Ankara mayor.