Rui Tavares, Member of the Portuguese Parliament and Member of the Committee of the European Green Party, said: “We are deeply concerned that Mayor İmamoğlu faces politically motivated charges which should be immediately dropped. He shouldn’t be on trial in the first place, but it is shocking that now that he is, his right to a fair trial has not been respected. This is yet another example of the instrumentalisation of Turkey’s judicial system for political reasons. Ekrem İmamoğlu and all political prisoners must be released immediately.”
Vula Tsetsi, Co-Chair of the European Green Party said “The trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu is not about justice, it is about eliminating a political opponent through the courts instead of the ballot box. Every day he remains behind bars is another day that democracy and the rule of law in Turkey are being dismantled. We call upon the European Commission and EU member states to speak out for people defending democracy in Turkey. As a European Union candidate country and a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey is obliged to respect democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”
