A prominent German politician, Franziska Brantner, has strongly criticized the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu and other opposition politicians. “The arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and further opposition politicians is a severe attack on Turkish democracy” Brantner stated to the media group Bayern’s newspapers (Thursday editions).
“We know the pattern, in which President Erdogan disposes of his competitors through unlawful actions. It once again shows that Erdogan has a great fear of democracy and thus of the people in Turkey” Brantner said, calling for the country to return to the rules and values of the European family as a member of the European Council and EU candidate country.
Imamoglu was arrested on Wednesday morning, with the charges of being the leader of a criminal organization, bribery and the manipulation of tenders, as well as allegedly supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Along with the mayor, around 100 other people were arrested. Imamoglu is considered the most powerful rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.