The city of Paris has awarded honorary citizenship to Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, who was arrested on March 19 in Turkey.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo © Mena Today
The city of Paris has awarded honorary citizenship to Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, who was arrested on March 19 in Turkey.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo called Paris “the capital of human rights” and expressed full support for Imamoglu, who she said is “unjustly prevented from representing his party and millions of Turkish citizens.”
The Paris City Council unanimously approved the motion, with Hidalgo stating that this symbolic gesture “will give strength to our friend and colleague, who embodies democratic values,” and may help "bring reason to the current Turkish leadership."
Imamoglu, seen as the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was recently confirmed as his party’s presidential candidate. European mayors, including those from Rome, Amsterdam, and Brussels, have also called for his release.
By François Loncle
Turkish authorities detained three more mayors from the main opposition party on Saturday, according to a prosecutor's statement and media reports, expanding a months-long legal crackdown that has expanded beyond its origins in Istanbul.
Hamas said it had responded on Friday in "a positive spirit" to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal, which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.
One of Sweden's most-wanted suspected gang leaders was taken into custody in Turkey on Friday during a raid on suspected drug traffickers, in what Swedish police described as a major success in the battle against organised crime.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.