(AGENPARL) – Thu 27 March 2025 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG023(2025)
Council of Europe Congress urges Türkiye to release detained mayors and stop their dismissals and detention
The Declaration stated that the relentless campaign of judicial harassment targeting Mayor  İmamoğlu since his first election in 2019 has been used to restrict his right to stand for elections. Separately, Mr İmamoğlu’s pre-trial detention on 23 March was identified by the Congress President as an assault on democracy. Since 2016, close to 150 mayors had already been dismissed and replaced and millions of people have been denied a democratic voice in Türkiye. The arrest of Mr İmamoğlu runs the risk of the more than 16 million citizens of the largest municipality in Europe being administered by a non-elected administrator.
The Declaration also condemned blanket bans on public demonstrations, as used in municipalities where mayors were removed or arrested.  This practice highlights that freedom of expression and assembly have suffered from extensive restrictions over recent months as the country has deviated from democratic norms and standards.
The Declaration reaffirmed that local and regional authorities are key to upholding and defending democracy, human rights and rule of law. It underlined the right of local authorities to freely exercise self-government without fear of persecution or retaliation regardless of the political views of their leaders and representatives.  This is inherent to the requirement for political pluralism in democratic systems.
The Congress underlined its commitment to pursuing constructive political dialogue with the authorities of Türkiye, notably in the framework of the post-monitoring roadmap and the organisation of a visit of the Congress leadership and the co-rapporteurs on the situation of local democracy in Türkiye; a fact-finding visit to Türkiye will be organised as soon as possible, to seek face-to-face meetings with mayors who have been detained, including Mayor İmamoğlu.
48th Session
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states. Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, it brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Tunç Soyer (Türkiye, SOC/G/PD).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
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