Striking assessment from TBB President Erinç Sağkan following Silivri visit: It could damage democracy

Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) President Erinç Sağkan met with mayors Ekrem İmamoğlu, Zeydan Karalar, and Ahmet Özer, who are being held at Silivri Prison. Sağkan emphasized that detention should be an exceptional measure.

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Striking assessment from TBB President Erinç Sağkan following Silivri visit: It could damage democracy

Union of Turkish Bar Associations President Erinç Sağkan announced in a statement on social media that he visited Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar, and Ahmet Özer, who are being held at Silivri Prison.

In his assessment following the visit, Erinç Sağkan stated that detentions must be handled within the framework of universal criminal procedure principles and the presumption of innocence.

Sağkan said, "Restricting the freedoms of local administrators elected by the votes of the people should not be implemented without sufficient justification and without observing the principle of proportionality. Such practices could damage legal security and local democracy."

Furthermore, stating that investigation processes must be conducted quickly and in a manner open to public scrutiny, Sağkan warned that otherwise, detention could turn into a de facto punishment.

I visited Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mr. Zeydan Karalar, and Mr. Ahmet Özer in Silivri.

Such severe measures against the freedoms of local administrators who have come to office with the votes of the people, without being supported by relevant and sufficient justification, and without observing the principle of proportionality…
— Erinç Sağkan (@erincsagkan) July 17, 2025