Brussels questions arrest of Istanbul mayor, without condemning it

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Brussels questions arrest of Istanbul mayor, without condemning it  The mass protests triggered by Ekrem İmamoğlu's arrest come as the EU tries to deepen its engagement with Turkey over Syria and Ukraine.   READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/24/brussels-questions-arrest-of-istanbul-mayor-without-condemning-it  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00The arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and the leading opposition figure in Turkey,

00:05has drawn concern from the European Commission,

00:07which questioned the country's adherence to its long-established democratic tradition.

00:14The arrest of the mayor, Imamoglu, and the protesters give rise to the questions

00:19regarding Turkey's adherence to its long-established democratic tradition.

00:24As a Council of Europe member and an EU candidate,

00:28Turkey must uphold democratic values.

00:31These rights, the rights of elected officials,

00:34as well as the right of peaceful demonstrations, need to be fully respected.

00:39While calling on Turkey to uphold democratic values,

00:41Brussels' reaction stops short of explicit condemnation.

00:45Imamoglu has been arrested on charges of corruption,

00:48but he was also charged with aiding terrorism and other offences.

00:51He has categorically denied all allegations, noting that, up to this point,

00:55the accusations are almost exclusively based on testimony

00:58from anonymous witnesses and lack concrete evidence.

01:02His removal from office has sparked mass protests across Turkey,

01:05the largest in over a decade, highlighting widespread public discontent.

01:10There were also other international reactions,

01:12with the Council of Europe condemning the arrest and demanding his immediate release.

01:16French and German officials also voiced concerns,

01:18describing the move as a setback for democracy

01:20and urging Turkey to ensure fair legal proceedings.

01:25This development underscores growing tensions between Turkey

01:28and its Western partners over democratic norms.

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