Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly calls for İmamoğlu's release

Regarding Turkey, the statement said, "The Assembly once again invites the Turkish authorities to fully and promptly implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and demands the immediate release of Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş, and Figen Yüksekdağ Şenoğlu." The resolution also included a call for the release of CHP's imprisoned presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The PACE winter session began today in Strasbourg, France. On the first day of the session, which will continue until January 30, 2026, a discussion was held regarding the 2025 progress reports of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine, all of which are under the PACE monitoring process.

In the resolution adopted following the discussion, the following statements were made regarding Turkey: "The Assembly once again invites the Turkish authorities to fully and promptly implement ECHR judgments and demands the immediate release of Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş, and Figen Yüksekdağ Şenoğlu. Furthermore, it is recommended that the necessary legal regulations be made to recognize the 'right to hope,' as stated in the Öcalan/Turkey judgment."

Call for reform for judicial independence

The resolution stated that PACE demands "the implementation of necessary reforms to re-establish an effective system of checks and balances and to ensure the full independence of the judiciary." It was also noted that PACE called for "an end to all forms of retaliation against politicians, lawyers, journalists, and civil society activists; the elimination of physical ill-treatment in places of detention and imprisonment; and the taking of all necessary measures to ensure accountability for such practices."

"Removal of democratically elected mayors must end"

Noting that respect for the will of the people in democratic elections is demanded, the resolution stated, "(The Assembly) specifically requests an end to the removal of democratically elected mayors through governors appointed by the Minister of the Interior, and demands that attacks against opposition parties, including the main opposition party CHP, be stopped." In the PACE resolution, recalling Resolution 2597 (2025), it was stated, "It reiterates the call for the release of Ekrem İmamoğlu and the dropping of all baseless charges against him."

It was stated that PACE welcomes the "Terror-Free Turkey" process, which began following the call by PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan on February 27, 2025, for the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve the organization. Authorities and relevant stakeholders were called upon to "continue taking concrete steps within the scope of this process to ensure lasting peace and political stability."