The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, led the first international delegation authorised to meet the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was imprisoned on 23 March 2025.
In a ‘Declaration’ published on Wednesday 7 May at the end of its visit to Turkey (5 and 6 May), the Congress reaffirmed its view that “it is unacceptable, under the rule of law, to deprive Istanbul of its elected mayor by detaining him without trial or substantiated charges”.
“This situation constitutes a violation of Mr İmamoğlu’s fundamental human rights and seriously hampers the ability of local governance in Turkey’s largest city to function effectively in serving the needs of its citizens.”
The Congress therefore reiterates its call for the “immediate release” of the Mayor of Istanbul.
It also condemns the arbitrary arrest of local elected representatives and municipal officials, their replacement by administrators on the basis of unproven allegations of terrorism, and the repression of demonstrations sparked by the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul.
“Congress will continue to monitor the situation of local officials and local democracy in Turkey”, the ‘Declaration’ concludes. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)