On Recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Türkiye

B100103/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Türkiye

(2025/2546(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to Rules 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas on 29 January elected Siirt Municipality Mayor Sofya Alağaş of the DEM Party was dismissed and sentenced to prison for alleged membership of the PKK when she was a journalist; whereas on 10 January elected Akdeniz Municipality co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Aslan from the DEM Party and several City Council members were taken into custody in Mersin and later charged for alleged links to the PKK; whereas Ahmet Özer, mayor of Istanbul's Esenyurt district from CHP party remains detained over alleged connections to the PKK; whereas the mayors were replaced by government trustees;

B.whereas DEM Party won the the Siirt mayorship with 49.63% and the Akdeniz mayorship with 36,92% in the March 2024 local elections;

C.whereas since 2016 successive Erdoğan governments have removed elected opposition mayors from 149 municipalities, mostly in the Kurdish southeast and replaced them with trustees; whereas since the March 2024 local elections 10 opposition mayors have been replaced by government appointees;

1.Calls for the immediate and unconditional release, acquittal and reinstatement of elected mayor Sofya Alağaş and co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Aslan and all other mayors arbitrarily arrested and dismissed;

2.Condemns the Turkish authorities’ continuation of dismissing democratically elected mayors on bogus terrorism charges and replacing them with government appointees, which undermines democratic processes and violates the right to free and fair elections;

3.Urges Turkish authorities to immediately cease and reverse repression of political opposition and respect the rights of voters to elect their chosen representatives in line with the recommendations of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission;

4.Urges Türkiye to repeal Article 45, paragraph 1 added in 2016 to the Municipality Law and ensure that ineligibility of candidates is assessed prior to the elections and based on a final criminal conviction;

5.Reminds Türkiye of its status as a candidate for European Union membership and its commitment to aligning with the EU acquis in all areas, including adherence to the rule of law and fundamental rights, as outlined in the Copenhagen criteria;

6.Calls on the European Commission, the HR/VP and Member States to raise the arrest and removal of opposition mayors as well as the take-over of municipalities with their Turkish counterparts;

7.Calls on the European Commission and Council that financial assistance under IPA III and NDICI to Türkiye are strictly conditional upon the respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights and that sufficient funding is allocated to civil society;

8.Calls on the HRVP to consider restrictive measures under the Global Human Rights Sanction Regime against Turkish officials responsible for the illegal removal of elected mayors and those functioning as government appointees to replace them;

9.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the HR/VP, and the Government and Parliament of Türkiye, and asks that it be translated into Turkish language;