A delegation of European mayors who traveled to İstanbul on Thursday to show solidarity with jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested on corruption charges in March, was barred from visiting him at Marmara Prison but declared that “he is not alone.”
The delegation, including the mayors of Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Sofia, Timisoara, Utrecht and Zagreb and senior city representatives from Paris and Madrid, first gathered at İstanbul City Hall and then at Marmara Prison on the western outskirts of the city where İmamoğlu is held. Their visit was organized by the Eurocities network, representing more than 200 cities across 38 countries.
İmamoğlu, a senior member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and his party’s presidential candidate for the next election, was detained on March 19 and arrested days later on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated. His arrest, widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election, sparked Turkey’s worst protests in decades.
A request for the delegation to visit İmamoğlu in prison was denied by the Turkish Justice Ministry, said acting İstanbul mayor Nuri Aslan, who also accompanied the group, Agence France-Presse reported.
Yet the group made a statement in front of Marmara Prison.
Several European mayors who spoke during the gathering urged Turkish authorities to respect democracy and the rule of law.
“European mayors stand together for freedom, democracy and the rule of law,” Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, Eurocities vice president, was quoted by AFP as saying.
‘Mayor İmamoğlu is not alone’
Utrecht Mayor Sharon Dijksma pointed to the personal toll of his imprisonment, noting that not only a successful mayor but also a husband and father was sent to prison. Saying that the visit aimed to “raise awareness and put pressure on those who can change this situation,” she added, “It should end now: Please free İmamoğlu.”
Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said the crackdown on the CHP mayors was worrying. “I am personally convinced that Mayor İmamoğlu is innocent. … [He] is one of the most respected mayors in all of Europe,” he said.
At municipal headquarters, the European mayors presented the jailed mayor with a Special Democracy Award, accepted on his behalf by his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu. Reading a message sent from prison, she conveyed her husband’s thanks for the honor, which he said belonged not only to him but to “all citizens resisting authoritarian pressure” in Turkey and abroad.
“We live in an age where justice has been turned into a weapon. But know that my determination has not wavered. Even behind bars, I continue to fight for democracy,” he added.
In a statement relayed on his X account, İmamoğlu also expressed “sincere gratitude” to the European mayors, adding that their solidarity “strengthened the fight for the democratic future” in Turkey.
The visit by the European mayors comes amid a yearlong crackdown on the CHP. More than 500 people linked to the party or the İstanbul Municipality have been detained or arrested since March.
Turkish authorities have detained 17 CHP mayors, including İmamoğlu, and replaced elected officials in at least three municipalities with government-appointed trustees, according to AFP.
The party and its supporters say the operations targeting the CHP are designed to neutralize elected officials and sideline opposition leaders after the party’s gains in the March 2024 local elections.
İmamoğlu, who faces multiple investigations, has been sentenced to two prison terms, including one for allegedly insulting a public prosecutor. Both sentences are under appeal, but opposition leaders claim the charges are politically motivated.
International human rights groups and lawmakers in Europe have raised concerns over the rule of law in Turkey, warning that the mass detentions and legal pressure could further erode democratic norms.
CHP holds 50th rally in support of jailed mayors
Meanwhile, the CHP staged its 50th “Defending the National Will” rally in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district on Wednesday, part of a series of protests that have continued since March in response to the arrest of İmamoğlu and a wave of detentions targeting opposition mayors and municipal officials.
The rally came less than two weeks after a Turkish court ordered the arrest of Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney and 16 others on charges of fraud and membership in a criminal organization, in what the CHP describes as a politically motivated case. Güney, who won the district in the March 2024 local elections, ending years of Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, was detained along with dozens of others. The interior ministry later suspended Güney from office pending the outcome of his trial.
Ahead of the rally authorities removed a large photograph of Güney with his family from the facade of the municipal building, only for CHP members to rehang it once the event began. Party leader Özgür Özel told the crowd: “İnan Güney is innocent and we will stand by him until the end. To those who cannot stand even this [photograph], Beyoğlu is giving the best answer: İnan Güney is our honor.”
Özel also pointed to the scale of his party’s campaign, saying that “today’s gathering is our 50th action, not just a rally. Ten million hearts have already stood with us at 49 events, and we will keep standing by Ekrem İmamoğlu and all our friends.”
He accused the ruling party of creating a “dark order” that has left Turkey with the highest prices in Europe and widespread hardship, saying families are being crushed by the high cost of living, from the price of meat to internet access. Vowing that the CHP would end this system, he promised “a Turkey without prohibitions, a visa-free Europe and the fastest and most affordable internet in the world for youths.”
© Agence France-Presse with Turkish Minute
