Erdogan’s Authoritarian Escalation: A Call for Action

Statement of the Party of the European Left, on Erdogan’s Crackdown and the Unjust Imprisonment of Ekrem Imamoglu.

The European Left strongly condemns the latest authoritarian crescendo of Erdogan’s One-Man-Regime, this time targeting the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, and the core of the democratic opposition. There is no separation of powers and no independent judiciary. The majority of the mass media is controlled the government, while the few independent outlets face administrative harassment and heavy fines. Government members are not elected by parliament but are appointed and dismissed by the president.

This is not the first time that Erdogan has turned against a top representative of the opposition whom he perceives as a “threat” to his autocratic impunity. Elected mayors of towns were fired from their posts arrested and send to prison. Ekrem Imamoglu is currently held in Silivri prison, where the Kurdish leader, Selahattin Demirtas, has also been detained illegally since 2016, despite a landmark decision of the European Court of Human Rights demanding his immediate release.

The European Union cannot turn a blind eye to this latest outburst of authoritarianism in Turkey, which, as a NATO member, is a close ally of both the US and the EU. Moreover, it cannot seriously discuss Turkey’s participation in a new European collective security system as long as Erdogan’s regime continues to violate the rule of law and suppress its political opponents in the most brutal and inhumane way.

The EU must exercise all available means of pressure on the Turkish state to comply with the rule of law and abandon this new political witch hunt.

We salute the tireless resistance of Turkey’s democratic citizens, especially its youth and students, who have flooded the streets in protest, resisting brutal police repression and fighting for justice and for the defeat of Erdogan’s autocratic rule.

We stand in support of democracy, freedom of expression and political action.

We demand the release of Ekrem Imamoglu and all democratic politicians, activists, journalists, academics, and citizens who are being illegally held in Turkish prisons for their political beliefs.