European Committee of the Regions calls for immediate release of Turkish mayors

The European Committee of the Regions has issued an urgent resolution strongly condemning the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and over a hundred Turkish local officials since 19 March. The resolution, which was adopted by 329-member assembly at its plenary on 2-3 April, highlights the systematic targeting of opposition politicians and the erosion of local democracy in Türkiye, calling for immediate action from Turkish authorities and the EU to uphold democratic principles and the rule of law.

The resolution can be found here. 

Key points in the resolution:  

• "Strongly condemns the arrests and detentions of local opposition leaders, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. They constitute a severe breach of democratic rules and blatant disregard of the will of the electorate. The systematic targeting of opposition politicians threatens the foundations of democratic societies." 
• "Urges the Turkish authorities to immediately release the Mayor of Istanbul and other politicians of the opposition detained for political reasons and calls on the authorities to cease all politically motivated prosecutions and undue pressure on local authorities. Ensuring fairness and impartiality of the judiciary is essential to maintaining public trust in democratic institutions." 
• "Stands in solidarity with all local leaders facing undue pressure and persecution. Acknowledges their crucial role in representing the democratic will of their electorate and emphasises the need to protect their independence. Extends its support to the people of Istanbul and all those in Türkiye who are committed to the future of local democracy, as evidenced by the very high turnout in local elections." 
• "Stands with the citizens in Türkiye, who are demonstrating for democracy and underlines the importance of the fundamental freedom of assembly and expression. Urges public authorities to stop any form of repression of demonstrators and journalists." 
• "Highlights the detrimental impact of these arrests and other attempts by the central government to curtail the power and resources of opposition municipalities on the quality, transparency and responsibilities of local governance. Weakening municipal institutions adversely affects the daily lives of millions of citizens in Türkiye." 
• "Welcomes the call by the European Parliament in its resolution on the recent dismissal and arrests of mayors in Türkiye (2025/2546(RSP)) to the High Representative/Vice President of the European Commission calling for restrictive measures to be taken against Turkish officials assuming the role of trustee and those appointing them; calls on the High Representative/Vice President of the European Commission to consider imposing restrictive measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime." 
• "Urges the European Commission and the Council to reconsider any further steps related to Türkiye’s accession process, given the Turkish government’s current disregard of essential criteria for EU membership. Emphasises that continued backsliding on fundamental rights should lead to a review of Türkiye’s participation in EU financial and institutional programs."
• "A delegation of the European Committee of the Regions will travel to Türkiye and visit the imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, thereby expressing in a concrete way the Committee’s solidarity and support for all imprisoned Turkish local officials."
• "Reaffirms its commitment to promoting and protecting local democracy in Türkiye, a strategic partner of the EU and an EU candidate country; undertakes to continue collaborating with democratically elected local leaders in Türkiye via its working group on relations with Türkiye, to ensure that democratic principles are respected and upheld at the local level."

Contact:

Andrew Gardner

Tel: +32 473 843 981

andrew.gardner@cor.europa.eu