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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