resolution motion, 10 February 2025
On Recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Turkiye
Motion B-10-2025-0124 · (2025/2546(RSP))
on behalf of the ECR Group · Rapporteur: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Waldemar Tomaszewski, Veronika Vrecionová, Ondřej Krutílek, Assita Kanko, Alexandr Vondra
AI:In short
This resolution addresses the recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Türkiye, which it sees as a coordinated effort to dismantle political opposition through judicial and administrative means. It calls on the Commission to assess these actions against the Copenhagen criteria and establish monitoring, on the EEAS to create a task force, and on the Venice Commission to issue an opinion. It also underlines the need to resume the Kurdish peace process.
Key points
- Condemns the dismissal of democratically elected mayors and their replacement with government-appointed administrators, citing examples such as Siirt and Akdeniz.
- Notes the arrest of Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat in a corruption probe and legal challenges against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, including a potential political ban and a defamation lawsuit.
- Observes that opposition municipal officials, especially from pro-Kurdish parties, have faced frequent arrests and dismissals since the 2019 local elections.
- States that the timing of legal actions coincides with declining public support for the ruling party, raising concerns about political use of judicial mechanisms.
- Asserts that these actions breach international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Venice Commission standards, and the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
- Calls on the Commission to prepare an assessment of the systematic targeting of opposition politicians and establish an enhanced monitoring mechanism for local democracy in Türkiye.
- Calls on the EEAS to establish a task force to monitor and report persecution of opposition politicians, working with EU delegations.
- Calls on the Venice Commission to issue an urgent opinion on the compatibility of mayoral dismissals with European standards and the use of charges against opposition figures.
- Underlines the need to resume the Kurdish peace process.
Who is affected
- Opposition mayors and political figures in Türkiye, particularly from pro-Kurdish parties, who face dismissals, arrests, and legal challenges.
- The Commission, EEAS, and Venice Commission are called upon to take monitoring and assessment actions.
Figures and deadlines
Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Full text
Text 17 paragraphs
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;
Read the rest (5 paragraphs)
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.