“Erdogan cannot ban his political opponents from office and at the same time pretend that he shares our values,” Senator Menendez stressed.
The decision of a Turkish court to sentence the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu to a sentence of 2 years and seven months was severely criticized by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate Bob Menendez.
“The Turkish regime’s condemnation of opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu demonstrates Turkey’s continued descent into autocracy. Free elections are the soul of democracy. Erdogan cannot ban his political opponents from office and at the same time pretend that he shares our values.” the Democratic senator said on Twitter.
The Turkish regime’s sentencing of opposition leader @ekrem_imamoglu demonstrates Turkey’s continued descent towards autocracy. Free elections are the lifeblood of democracy. Erdogan cannot bar his political opponents from office & at the same time pretend to share our values. https://t.co/LXzIguXlUH
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) December 14, 2022
It is noted that Ankara’s condemnation decision, which does not allow Imamoglu to participate in the presidential elections, has caused international reactions.
Imamoglou rising star of the Turkish political scene when he was elected in 2019 – he was on trial for “insult” and he had described his trial as “political” as it was being held a few months before Turkey’s June 2023 elections. During a previous hearing in November, the prosecutor had asked that Imamoglu be sentenced to 15 months to four years in prison for a comment he made that was considered “insulting” members of Turkey’s Electoral Council.
The Istanbul mayor was among the few opposition leaders polled to beat Erdogan, who faces a severe economic crisis and inflation officially running at around 85 percent.
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