 on Wednesday called for the immediate release of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, condemning his detention as a politically motivated move to suppress Turkey’s opposition ahead of the 2028 presidential election.){kind=link}
The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday called for the immediate release of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, condemning his detention as a politically motivated move to suppress Turkey’s opposition ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
The bureau, which oversees the assembly’s work and coordinates its agenda, issued a statement Tuesday after a meeting in Strasbourg, expressing serious concern over İmamoğlu’s arrest. The move comes just days before he was expected to be formally named as the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate for the next presidential election.
The bureau also denounced İstanbul University’s decision to revoke İmamoğlu’s degree, which under Turkish law effectively bars him from running for president.
“These recent arrests appear to be politically motivated and go against the will of the people who democratically elected Mr. İmamoğlu and other detained politicians,” the statement said, warning that Turkey’s actions aim to intimidate the opposition and limit voters’ choices.
İmamoğlu’s detention is part of a wider probe that has led to the detentions of scores of politicians, journalists and business figures, raising concerns about democratic backsliding.
The bureau reiterated PACE’s previous criticism of Turkey, citing Resolution 2459 (2022), which warned that Ankara was failing to meet its Council of Europe commitments.
The statement also called on İstanbul University to reverse its decision on İmamoğlu’s degree and urged Turkish authorities to drop all unfounded charges against him and other detained politicians. While acknowledging Turkey’s recent diplomatic role in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the bureau stressed that basic democratic principles must be upheld.
Given recent developments, the bureau said PACE would intensify its monitoring of Turkey, with co-rapporteurs Stefan Schennach and Lord David Blencathra as well as General Rapporteur on Political Prisoners Azadeh Rojhan leading further scrutiny of the country’s political and judicial actions.