Brussels, 19 March 2025
Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas and Commissioner Kos on the recent events concerning Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu
The EU urges the Turkish authorities to provide full transparency and to follow due process. As an EU candidate country and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices.
Respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law are essential for the EU accession process. They will continue to be an integral part of EU-Türkiye relations.
Source – EU Commission
S&Ds condemn the detention of Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu
S&Ds call on the Turkish authorities to immediately release all those unduly detained for exercising their rights as opposition members, journalists and activists. They condemn that Türkiye is increasingly drifting away from democratic principles, and warn of the consequences of this authoritarian drift for the currently frozen EU accession process. They stand in full solidarity with Mayor İmamoğlu, the people of Istanbul, and their sister party Republican People’s Party (CHP) in their fight for democracy.
Nacho Sánchez Amor, S&D spokesperson in the European Parliament’s committee on foreign affairs, said:
“We are deeply concerned by the detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, yet another alarming example of the authoritarian overreach of the current Turkish authorities. Just days before İmamoğlu was expected to be nominated as the main opposition candidate for the presidency, a full-scale campaign has been launched against him on multiple fronts. Beyond the already existing cases, yesterday saw the annulment of his university diploma—a requirement to become President of the Republic—and today he has been detained along with over 100 others on alleged charges of corruption and terrorism. This was followed by a four-day ban on demonstrations and a slowdown of social media. The timing and nature of these actions make it unmistakably clear that this is a politically motivated move aimed at preventing a legitimate challenger from contesting the upcoming elections. We call for the immediate release of all those unduly detained.
“All this is happening in an increasingly repressive environment designed to suppress opposition and silence critical voices in Türkiye through a complex web of repressive laws and the political instrumentalisation of the judiciary. Despite some recent positive steps in other areas, it is evident that President Erdoğan’s government remains fully committed to an authoritarian model at the expense of the rule of law and basic freedoms, brazenly using state institutions to further its own political agenda.
“This is why the EU accession process remains at a standstill and will continue to do so indefinitely, no matter how geopolitically important Türkiye claims to be. None of the EU institutions should turn a blind eye to the alarming deterioration of democracy in Türkiye.”
Source – S&D Group
Renew Europe: Erdoğan’s crackdown on political opponents must stop
The Renew Europe Group in the European Parliament condemns the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul and Erdoğan’s main political rival and calls on the Turkish government to stop abuses of power targeting opposition politicians. Citizens’ right to protest must be respected, as the authorities banned any kind of demonstrations for four days in an apparent effort to prevent people from taking to the streets following the arrest.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) was expected to name İmamoğlu as its challenger to Erdogan and his detention came a day after Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu’s degree. If the decision is not revoked, it will block him from running in presidential elections.
Renew Europe MEP, Malik Azmani (VVD, The Netherlands), shadow rapporteur on Türkiye, said:
“The arrest of İmamoğlu by the Turkish police is a clear example of a political driven move to undermine a key opposition figure. Yesterday, İmamoğlu’s university diploma was suddenly revoked, a prerequisite for running as a presidential candidate for the upcoming elections. These anti-democratic acts are absolutely unacceptable, especially for an EU candidate country.
Renew Europe calls on the Turkish government to stop these practices and immediately release İmamoğlu. The systematic targeting of opposition politicians by the Turkish government do not build on a stronger partnership with the EU. Instead, it erodes trust and creates obstacles for a stronger EU-Türkiye relation.”
Source – Renew Europe