Ekrem İmamoğlu, İstanbul’s jailed mayor and a leading opposition figure in Turkey, was granted the 2026 Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award at a ceremony in Brussels on Thursday, with the prize accepted on his behalf by acting İstanbul mayor Nuri Aslan, Turkish Minute reported.
The award, presented at the European Parliament building, recognizes public figures and activists who promote freedom, solidarity and equality in the spirit of the late Paweł Adamowicz, the former mayor of Gdańsk who was murdered in 2019 while carrying out his public duties.
Organizers said İmamoğlu was recognized for his unyielding defense of democracy, solidarity and the independence of local government facing autocratic tendencies and attempts at disqualification.
İmamoğlu, a leading figure in Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been in detention since March 2025 and was unable to attend the ceremony.
Accepting the award on his behalf, Aslan read a message written by the jailed mayor.
“Today I am not among you although I very much wished to be,” İmamoğlu said in the statement read during the ceremony. “But the solidarity shown by you, friends who believe in democracy, is at least as valuable as this award.”
İmamoğlu said pressure on elected municipal leaders ultimately targets voters themselves.
“Pressure directed at elected local administrators does not only target municipalities. Its main target is the will of the voters,” he said, adding that democracy and human rights are values that belong to everyone.
In the message, İmamoğlu also called on European institutions to show solidarity during what he described as a difficult period for democracy in Turkey. “Turkey’s place is within the democratic European family,” he said.
İmamoğlu dedicated the award to citizens in Turkey who, he said, continue to defend democratic participation despite political pressure.
In a message posted on X following the ceremony, İmamoğlu, who is being held in Marmara Prison on the outskirts of İstanbul, said it was a “great honor” to receive the award, describing it as “an unmistakable reminder that those of us fighting for democracy and the rule of law are never really alone.”
“Despair is not an option,” the mayor added, saying he remained hopeful that “our words will triumph over fear and our cities will truly serve as the people’s home.”
A video message from the mayor’s wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, was also shown during Thursday’s ceremony. She said they would not grow accustomed to her husband’s absence and called for justice.
“With this meaningful award you give to Ekrem today, the solidarity you express shows us that there are still people in the world who stand up for important values,” she added.
Magdalena Adamowicz, the widow of Paweł Adamowicz, also addressed the ceremony and expressed support for İmamoğlu.
The Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award is jointly organized by the city of Gdańsk, the European Committee of the Regions, of which Adamowicz was a member, and ICORN. The prize aims to send a message of solidarity to elected officials, public servants and citizens who work to uphold democracy at the local level despite risks.
İmamoğlu, one of Turkey’s most prominent opposition politicians and the CHP’s presidential candidate for the 2028 general election, has been in pretrial detention since March 2025 on charges that include corruption and “political espionage,” accusations he and his party deny.
His arrest came shortly after the CHP formally nominated him as its presidential candidate and triggered nationwide protests, with his party and rights groups describing the investigations targeting him as politically motivated. The CHP and İmamoğlu say the investigations targeting the mayor are aimed at preventing him from running for the presidency.
When the award was announced earlier this year, organizers said the recognition carried particular significance because İmamoğlu was imprisoned “for standing up for democratic values and the will of the citizens he represents.”
The ceremony in Brussels took place as the anniversary of İmamoğlu’s arrest approaches. March 19 will mark one year since the İstanbul mayor was detained and removed from office.
