On Monday 6 July, Rui Tavares, a Portuguese parliamentarian and senior representative of the European Green Party attended the trial at the prison in Silivri, Turkey. At a press conference in front of the prison he said:
“Today, I attended the trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the democratically elected mayor of Europe’s largest city, taking place at Europe's largest prison, notorious for holding political prisoners. He was forced to defend himself in three different politically motivated court cases.. It is blatantly obvious that this is a politically motivated sham trial.”
“What I witnessed today has no place in a democracy. This is a dark day for Turkey and Europe. Let there be no doubt, the only reason that Ekrem İmamoğlu is facing this sham trial is because he is the main challenger of Turkey’s current president. The prosecution has not presented any plausible evidence for the accusations against the mayor, and is heavily relying on anonymous witnesses.”
During a previous mission in May a European Green Party delegation led by Co-Chair Vula Tsetsi visited the courthouse at the prison in Silivri to observe the mass trial. The European Green Party was the first European political party to assist at the hearings.
Vula Tsetsi, Co-Chair of the European Greens, said:
“As NATO leaders are gathering in Turkey to discuss our collective security, the Turkish authorities are restricting fundamental freedoms, silencing dissent and using the justice system to undermine the democratic opposition. Security is not only about military strength. Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms are also essential to our collective security.
The European Union cannot continue to look the other way. Strategic cooperation with Turkey must not come at the expense of our values. As an EU candidate country and a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey has clear obligations to uphold democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Europe’s credibility depends on defending these principles consistently, including when they are challenged by strategic partners. In a democracy, political leaders are chosen by citizens at the ballot box, not removed through politically motivated prosecutions, as we are witnessing in the case of Ekrem İmamoğlu.”
Background
Ekrem İmamoğlu is the democratically elected Mayor of Istanbul, a city of over 16 million people. He won the 2019 election and was comfortably re-elected in 2024, one year before his arrest in March 2025 that marked a new phase of political repression in Turkey.
A recent court move against the elected leadership of the biggest democratic opposition party CHP has further reinforced concerns about the deterioration of democratic standards and the rule of law in the country.
