EU urges Turkey to 'uphold democratic values' as Erdoğan’s crackdown intensifies

The European Commission on Monday called on Ankara to “uphold democratic values” as Turkish authorities intensify their crackdown on the opposition and free media.

Turkish authorities have detained 1,133 individuals nationwide since protests erupted five days ago against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

İmamoğlu, President Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, was arrested last Wednesday, sparking the largest street protests in Turkey in over a decade. A court subsequently jailed him on Sunday, pending trial, on corruption charges, which he denies.

Despite restrictions on public gatherings in many cities, the largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations continued for a fifth night on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands participating.

“The arrest of the mayor İmamoğlu and the protesters give rise to the questions regarding Turkey’s adherence to its long-established democratic traditions,” Politico quoted Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier as saying.

“As a Council of Europe (the international human rights organisation) member and EU candidate, Turkey must uphold democratic values. The rights of elected officials as well as right of peaceful demonstration need to be fully respected,” he added.

However, the spokesperson said that at this stage he “will not speculate on possible cancellations” of high-level dialogues between the EU and Turkey scheduled for April.

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Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been calling for protests against the court decision to arrest the mayor, which they label as politicised and undemocratic.

Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as “unimaginable accusations and slanders” and has also called for nationwide protests.

CHP on Sunday held a primary election to name him presidential candidate. Some 15 million votes were cast in support of the mayor.

News of Imamoglu’s arrest covered the front pages of Turkish newspapers on Monday, with opposition media suggesting the mayor was arrested for being the most credible challenger to  Erdogan.

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The mayor’s supporters said on Monday the jailing of Imamoglu demonstrated a lack of justice in Turkey.

With inputs from agencies