European delegation demands release of jailed mayor Imamoglu in Istanbul visit

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A number of European mayors on Thursday visited Turkey's largest metropolitan city of Istanbul in a show of support for jailed opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, urging Ankara to "free" him who has been spending time behind the bars for over the past five months on graft charges, something critics have repeatedly labelled as politically motivated.

In March, Imamoglu from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was sacked from his position on charges of corruption.

Considered the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming 2028 elections, his arrest sparked Turkey’s worst unrest in a decade, which in turn led to a massive crackdown on protests.

The 10-member delegation visited Istanbul City Hall and Silviri prison, western Istanbul, where Imamoglu has been detained, urging the Turkish government to respect the rule of law.

The delegation, accompanied by Imamoglu's wife Dilek Kaya, was denied visiting him in prison, after their request was rejected by Turkey's justice ministry.

The delegation consisted of mayors of Athens, Barcelona, Budapest, Sofia, Timisoara, Utrecht and Zagreb, and senior city representatives from Paris and Madrid, and the visit was organized by the Eurocities network, a major group representing over 200 European cities.

"European mayors stand together for freedom, democracy and the rule of law," said Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni, who is Eurocities' vice president.

"Mayor Imamoglu is not alone," he said.

Zagreb mayor Tomislav Tomasevic, for his part, said the arrest of Imamoglu and other CHP mayors was worrying.

"I am personally convinced that Mayor Imamoglu is innocent," Tomasevic said, adding the jailed Istanbul mayor "is one of the most respected mayors in all Europe."

Utrecht mayor Sharon Dijksma said the visit aimed to "raise awareness and put pressure on those who can change this situation".

"It should end now: please free Imamoglu," she said.

Imamoglu, in a statement on his X account, expressed "sincere gratitude" to the European mayors, and said that their solidarity "strengthened the fight for the democratic future" in Turkey.

Since Imamoglu's arrest, dozens of others in opposition-held municipalities on several charges including leading a criminal organization, extortion, bribery, aggravated fraud, unlawful acquisition of personal data, and tender rigging, have also been detained.

On August 19, Istanbul’s Beyoglu district mayor Inan Guney and 17 others from CHP were officially arrested on corruption charges.

Many elected Kurdish officials have also been arrested and removed from their posts on early similar charges in recent years.

European delegation demands release of jailed mayor Imamoglu in Istanbul visit

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