A group of European mayors has strongly condemned the detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other local elected officials in Turkey, describing it as a violation of democratic principles and fundamental rights and calling for his immediate release, Turkish Minute reported.
In a joint statement on Friday, the mayors denounced İmamoğlu’s detention as arbitrary and expressed deep concern over what they referred to as repeated attacks on freedoms in Turkey.
They warned that these arrests, along with the ongoing pressure on local officials, signal a further erosion of democracy in the country.
İmamoğlu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and to date 89 others, including two district mayors in İstanbul, city officials, businesspeople and journalists, were detained as part of two investigations led by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday. They face accusations of corruption and terrorism, which the opposition says are politically motivated.
“Elected democratically, Ekrem İmamoğlu symbolizes hope for a future based on pluralism, justice, and respect for fundamental freedoms,” their statement said.
The mayors urged Turkish authorities to immediately release İmamoğlu and opposition politicians detained for political reasons, end political prosecutions, pressure and attacks on local governance and ensure respect for democratic freedoms and human rights in Turkey.
The signatories also called on European institutions to take urgent action to secure İmamoğlu’s release and uphold the rule of law in Turkey.
“In this ordeal, we express our solidarity with the people of Istanbul and all those in Turkey concerned about the fate of our colleague,” the statement added.
The declaration was signed by the mayors of several major European cities, including Paris, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Milan and Rome, as well as representatives from Eurocities, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions and the International Association of Francophone Mayors.
The operation against the mayor, who is seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, and other CHP officials came in the wake of an ongoing crackdown on the party over the past several months that led to the arrest and removal from office of three district mayors in İstanbul and the arrest of many other party officials.
İmamoğlu’s detention also came several days before he was to be named his party’s presidential candidate in a preliminary election scheduled for March 23 and one day after the revocation of his university degree, which could bar him from running for president.
Turkish constitution requires that presidential candidates have a university degree.
Turkey is scheduled to hold its next presidential election in 2028.
By law Erdoğan — who has been president for more than a decade, having been prime minister for 11 years before that — cannot run again in the 2028 race.
But he wants to amend the constitution to allow that, a move that requires opposition support, which analysts said could be complicated by İmamoğlu’s detention.
