PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“This is the latest in a long line of arrests of Erdogan’s political opponents by Turkish authorities. The detention of Mr Oğuz is deeply disturbing and most likely politically motivated.”
The PES is concerned about the rule of law in Turkey. The district mayor from Izmir was arrested over an unsubstantiated accusation relating to a telephone call, after having apparently been placed under surveillance by authorities. These practices would not be acceptable in a justice system in a country where the rule of law is respected and upheld.
The PES President added:
“We demand that Burak Oğuz’s rights are guaranteed. This is yet another attempt by the governing majority to illegally win back the power they lost at the ballot box in the last local election. This is a blatant violation of the rule of law. No such behaviour is admissible in a democracy.”
The PES stands in support of our Turkish associate member party CHP and all of its legally elected representatives – both at the local and national levels – who continue to face vindictive attacks from President Erdogan.
