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Political persecution of Ekrem İmamoğlu and the erosion of democracy in Türkiye

Written declaration No. 805 | Doc. 16141 | 02 April 2025

Signatories:
Ms Dora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Petra BAYR, Austria, SOC ; Ms Deborah BERGAMINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Marek BOROWSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe BRICO, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Mr Benjamin DALLE, Belgium, EPP/CD ; Ms Iva DIMIC, Slovenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Anna EFTHYMIOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Christiana EROTOKRITOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Edite ESTRELA, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, Monaco, ALDE ; Mr Gustaf GÖTHBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Pablo HISPÁN, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Marietta KARAMANLI, France, SOC ; Ms Saskia KLUIT, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, North Macedonia, SOC ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Carmen LEYTE, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Kristoffer LINDBERG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Max LUCKS, Germany, SOC ; Mr Dimitrios MANTZOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Dimitrios MARKOPOULOS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Ioannis OIKONOMOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr George PAPANDREOU, Greece, SOC ; Ms Christine PASQUIER-CIULLA, Monaco, EPP/CD ; Ms Valérie PILLER CARRARD, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Catia POLIDORI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Ivan RAČAN, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Sandra REGOL, France, SOC ; Mr Gonzalo ROBLES, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Ms Ingjerd Schie SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Evripidis STYLIANIDIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Maria SYRENGELA, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Nicos TORNARITIS, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Alexis TSIPRAS, Greece, UEL ; Mr Francesco VERDUCCI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, ECPA

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

  • express grave concern over the politically motivated prosecution of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, aimed at preventing his candidacy in the 2028 presidential elections;
  • recall Türkiye’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5) to uphold democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, including the right to fair elections and political participation;
  • denounce the misuse of judicial processes by the Turkish authorities to silence opposition and manipulate elections;
  • express alarm at the increasing restrictions on protests, social media censorship, and arrests of journalists, opposition figures, and activists;
  • emphasise that, in democratic systems, including Council of Europe member and observer States, judicial proceedings must not be weaponised to disqualify political candidates. Leadership shall be determined solely by voters;
  • call on the Assembly to urgently examine the issue of Türkiye’s democratic backsliding at the next plenary session;
  • call on Türkiye to immediately release İmamoğlu, drop politically motivated charges against opposition leaders, and ensure free elections;
  • urge Türkiye to restore judicial independence and end political prosecutions;
  • invite the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy to assess Türkiye’s democratic deterioration and report with recommendations;
  • call upon the Secretary General to engage with the Turkish authorities, invoking Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights if necessary.