The mayor takes part in a joint appeal by European cities to Turkish authorities
Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, the mayor of Reykjavík, is taking part in a collective appeal from European mayors to Turkish authorities, following the sudden arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19.
The appeal is coordinated by EuroCities, with signatories including Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, Juhana Vartiainen, the mayor of Helsinki, and Erik Lae Solberg, the mayor of Oslo.
It's crucial for Reykjavík to consistently stand up for human rights and democracy. This arrest represents a serious threat to democracy and is therefore unacceptable.
The joint statement reads:
We [mayors in Europe] condemn in the strongest possible terms the arrest of our colleague Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul. We denounce his arbitrary imprisonment and express our deep concern at this situation and at the repeated attacks on fundamental rights and municipal freedoms in Turkey. These arrests, together with the constant pressure exerted on local elected representatives, mark a new stage in the violation of democratic principles in Turkey.
Elected democratically, Ekrem İmamoğlu symbolizes hope for a future based on pluralism, justice and respect for fundamental freedoms.
We therefore call on the Turkish authorities to:
- Immediately release the Mayor of Istanbul and opposition politicians arrested for political reasons;
- Put an end to prosecutions, political pressure and attacks on local freedoms;
- Guarantee respect for democratic freedoms and human rights in Turkey.
More broadly, we call on the European institutions to take immediate action to secure the release of our colleague and to take all necessary measures to guarantee respect for the rule of law in Turkey.
In this ordeal, we would like to express our solidarity with the people of Istanbul and to all those in Turkey who are concerned about the fate of our colleague.”
Details: Mayors express support for Ekrem İmamoğlu - EuroCities