On Recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Turkiye

on Recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Turkiye

B100124/2025

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

(2025/2546(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Turkiye,

- having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. Whereas a recent trend in Türkiye involves the dismissal of democratically elected mayors and their replacement with government-appointed administrators, as seen in the removal of Siirt's mayor and similar actions in Akdeniz Municipality, and this pattern extends to the January 13, 2025, arrest of Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat in a corruption probe focused on public tender manipulation, despite mayors lacking signing authority in such processes; whereas, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu also faces multiple legal challenges, including a potential political ban and a January 20 investigation for allegedly "threatening" prosecutor Akın Gürlek, alongside a defamation lawsuit from President Erdoğan demanding TRY 1 million in damages;

B Whereas opposition municipal officials, particularly from pro-Kurdish parties, have faced frequent arrests and dismissals since the opposition's victories in Turkiye‘s 2019 local elections, which they maintained in the 2024 polls;

C Whereas the timing of these legal actions coincides with declining public support for the ruling party raising concerns about the use of judicial mechanisms for political purposes;

D Whereas these systematic violations demonstrate a coordinated effort to use judicial and administrative mechanisms to dismantle political opposition, representing a serious threat to democratic governance and human rights, as the pattern of targeting opposition figures through legal mechanisms, while selectively applying justice, indicates a systematic abuse of state power to achieve political ends;

E Whereas the systematic targeting of opposition mayors and political figures in Türkiye breaches international legal framework such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Articles 14, 22, and 25) through interference with rights to political participation, fair trials, and freedom of association; the Venice Commission's standards on democratic governance through improper replacement of elected officials with appointees; and the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Articles 3, 7, and 8) by undermining local democratic authority and the exercise of elected representatives' functions;

1 Calls on the Commission to prepare an assessment of the systematic targeting of opposition politicians through judicial means, with particular focus on violations of the Copenhagen political criteria and establish an enhanced monitoring mechanism specific to the erosion of local democracy in Turkiye.

2. Calls on the EEAS to establish a task force to monitor and report the persecution of opposition politicians, working closely with EU delegations in Turkiye to gather evidence and maintain detailed documentation of cases.

3 Calls on the Venice Commission to issue an urgent opinion examining the systematic use of judicial measures against opposition politicians in Turkey, addressing the compatibility of mayoral dismissals with European democratic standards, the use of terrorism and corruption charges against opposition figures; and the practice of replacing elected officials with appointed administrators.

4 Underlines the need to resume the Kurdish peace process;

5 Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EEAS, the Vice-President of the Commission/HRVP, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, Members of the Parliament and government of Türkiye.