U.S. Senator Adam Schiff on Thursday called on Turkish authorities to either present credible corruption evidence against Istanbul’s jailed mayor or release him immediately, while urging fellow lawmakers to support a resolution condemning Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan for what he described as democratic backsliding.
Erdogan’s main rival, Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, sparking Turkey’s largest protests in a decade. Popular support for Imamoglu has since risen further above Erdogan, opinion polls show.
The mayor has denied all charges. His arrest triggered market turmoil and accusations of a politicised judiciary that the government has rejected, saying the judges are independent.
Senator Demands Imamoglu’s Release
Schiff’s resolution, seen by Reuters, calls for Erdogan and law enforcement authorities to release Imamoglu or present credible evidence against him, and to uphold democratic values.
“The continued detention of Mayor Imamoglu, as well as the harassment and arrest of dozens of journalists and dissenting political voices in Turkey, is the latest in an unfortunate trend in the democratic backsliding that Turkey has seen under President Erdogan,” Schiff said in a statement to Reuters.
“The Senate should send a loud and clear message that the unjustified jailing of Erdogan’s political rivals is not acceptable.”
The resolution also urges U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to speak out about the detention and engage Turkey over what it called anti-democratic behaviour.
Rubio’s State Department has said little on Imamoglu’s case, calling it an internal judicial matter for NATO ally Turkey, while calling for human rights to be respected.
Unprecedented Protests
Turkey witnessed its largest mass protest in recent years following the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of major cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, decrying what they described as a politically motivated verdict aimed at silencing dissent.
Imamoglu, widely seen as a potential challenger to President Erdogan, was sentenced on charges critics claim were fabricated to block his rising political influence.
(With inputs from Reuters)
