From the prisons of Syvria, where he has been held since March 19, Ekrem Imoglou, Mayor of Constantinople, sent a message to former Prime Minister George Papandreou and participants at the 27th Symi Symposium, held in Skiathos.

In a letter accompanied by the elected mayor of Constantinople, inter alia, he states that “this year I am not with you on the island, but I am addressing you through a prison cell, where I have been held since March 19 – not because I violated some law, but because I represented it.” “This will is clear: the demand for justice, for pluralism and democratic change,” adds Imoglou.

He points out that efforts to silence him are continued, as his social media accounts have been suspended, as has been banned from accessing visitors.

“George, when you came to Turkey and asked to visit me in Silivri, they denied it. But you didn’t stop there. You went to Ankara, you met my party’s president, Mr Özgür Özel, and you stood – as always – on the side of democratic values, when it matters. This kind of solidarity matters well beyond politics. It marks moral clarity and courage in times of confusion, “Mr. Imamoglou emphasized in his letter to George Papandreou.

In his message he stresses that the most fundamental issue of any progressive proposal is justice and no democratic system can thrive when justice turns into a weapon, like no model of governance can inspire confidence without transparency.

“We wake up almost every day in front of a new crisis. In most cases, it is not chaos, but a deliberate strategy. They are the consequences of authoritarian regimes, whose thirst for control and survival leads them to produce polarization, conflicts and wars – both against their peoples themselves and beyond the borders, “notes Ekrem Imamoglou while stressing that history is not the case.

At this time, we have to choose: Will we turn a look or dwell on those who rule with fear? Will come better days – as long as we remain loyal to our common values and we are not afraid to defend them“, Concludes in his message by the elected and imprisoned mayor of Constantinople.