Turkey's authorities should present credible evidence of corruption against Istanbul's jailed mayor or immediately release him, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff said on Thursday as he urged his colleagues to back a resolution calling out President Tayyip Erdogan over what he called democratic backsliding.
California U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA, Reuters/Mike Blake
Turkey's authorities should present credible evidence of corruption against Istanbul's jailed mayor or immediately release him, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff said on Thursday as he urged his colleagues to back a resolution calling out President Tayyip Erdogan over what he called democratic backsliding.
Erdogan's main rival, mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, sparking Turkey's largest protests in a decade. Popular support for Imamoglu has since risen further above Erdogan, opinion polls show.
The mayor has denied all charges. His arrest triggered market turmoil and accusations of a politicized judiciary that the government has rejected, saying the judges are independent.
Schiff's resolution, seen by Reuters, calls for Erdogan and law enforcement authorities to release Imamoglu or present credible evidence against him, and to uphold democratic values.
"The continued detention of Mayor Imamoglu, as well as the harassment and arrest of dozens of journalists and dissenting political voices in Turkey, is the latest in an unfortunate trend in the democratic backsliding that Turkey has seen under President Erdogan," Schiff said in a statement to Reuters.
"The Senate should send a loud and clear message that the unjustified jailing of Erdogan’s political rivals is not acceptable."
The resolution also urges U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to speak out about the detention and engage Turkey over what it called anti-democratic behavior.
Rubio's State Department has said little on Imamoglu's case, calling it an internal judicial matter for NATO ally Turkey, while calling for human rights to be respected.
By Simon Lewis
US embassies in Jerusalem, Baghdad and Amman issued security alerts Saturday urging American citizens to exercise "heightened vigilance," as tensions flare between Iran and the United States. Americans were also told to "consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation."
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday it had received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile.
Abu Dhabi is pressing ahead with plans to cement its status as a global hub for culture, tourism and creativity, driving forward strategic projects that place the creative economy at the heart of its sustainable development and economic diversification agenda.
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.