Turkey – Sentencing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu (15 December 2022)

We were deeply troubled to learn that a Turkish court handed down a prison sentence against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and banned him from political activity.

France reaffirms its commitment to the freedom of opinion and freedom of speech and reiterates the importance of complying with the rule of law in a democracy. We echo the EU Council’s call to Turkey in its conclusions on enlargement, adopted on December 13, to urgently reverse negative trends relating to the rule of law, democracy and respect for fundamental rights.