The Party of European Socialists (PES) strongly condemns the recent wave of arrests targeting opposition figures in Turkey, a move clearly orchestrated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Among those detained is Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul and a leading opposition candidate in the upcoming presidential election. İmamoğlu represents the CHP (Republican People’s Party), an associated member of the PES.
Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested along with 100 others, including his close aide Murat Ongun and election campaign manager Necati Özkan. The Public Prosecution Office accused them of being part of a so-called “criminal circle.”
PES President Stefan Löfven responded:
“The arrests of a potential opposition candidate for President in Turkey and other opposition figures are outrageous. Erdoğan is paving his way to another mandate by disregarding democracy and the rule of law. Ekrem İmamoğlu and many other opposition figures were elected legally and by a significant majority in last year’s local elections. Since then, Erdoğan has used the full power of the government to remove, replace, or imprison opposition mayors and prominent figures. This is a full-scale attack on democracy. We stand by our member parties in Turkey and will continue to support them.”
Erdoğan’s party suffered significant losses in the last local elections, with opposition candidates winning in key cities such as Istanbul and Ankara. The recent arrests appear to be an attempt to dismantle cooperation between CHP and another PES-associated member party, the Democracy Party (DEM Party). This alliance, which helped secure key victories in the local elections, could pose a significant challenge to Erdoğan’s rule in the upcoming 2028 presidential election.
PES Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck stated:
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation with Ekrem İmamoğlu. Any attempt to deny him a fair trial or to hold him in detention for months without proper charges will be met with strong resistance. Erdoğan has made a habit of keeping opposition leaders in jail under shifting accusations to weaken democracy. We will not let this happen again.”
The PES has consistently defended Turkish opposition leaders. We immediately supported İmamoğlu during yesterday’s charges against him before his arrest, and we protested the arrest of Istanbul’s local CHP leader back in 2019 and much more.
Over the past decade, PES stood against numerous unlawful detentions of opposition figures in Turkey.
The most alarming case remains that of former HDP party (now DEM Party) co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş. Demirtaş has been unlawfully detained for more than ten years now. PES stood by him in court in 2017, 2018, 2019 and again in 2020 during his trials. Despite the Resolution by the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament resolution calling Demirtas to be released, he is still held by Erdogan in prison.
The PES remains unwavering in its commitment to democracy and human rights in Turkey. We will continue to stand with those who fight for political freedom and justice.