The Alliance for Labour and Freedom condemns the prison sentence and political ban against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu as a continuation of the coercive measures against the political opposition in Turkey.
The Alliance for Labour and Freedom condemned the prison sentence and political ban against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. The CHP politician was sentenced in Istanbul on Wednesday to two years and seven and a half months imprisonment for insulting members of the Turkish Election Committee and banned from political activity. "We do not accept the prison sentence and the ban on politics for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. The sentence is not legal but political," stated the alliance formed in September by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Social Freedom Party (TÖP), the Labour Movement Party (EHP), the Federation of Socialist Councils (SMF), the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) and the Labour Party (EMEP).
The statement continued: "This decision is a continuation of the usurpation of the people's will against the HDP municipalities, the removal of MPs by lifting their immunity, the ban on strikes, the interference in collective agreements, the suppression of intellectuals, journalists, trade unionists, art workers and political opponents. When, in the course of a political coup, trustees were appointed to town halls, we stated that this was a disregard for the will of the people and an interference in the right to vote and stand for election, and that the entire opposition should be sensitive and develop a common stance. We have pointed out the danger that the system of trustee administration, which has spread from the municipalities to the universities, is capturing the whole country. The banning decision against Ekrem Imamoğlu shows how far this system has gone. It is clear that trustees, repression and bans are a legal cudgel used by the government against the political opposition.
The government is trying to take political revenge on a mayor who was elected with the votes of millions of people for electoral reasons. As the Alliance for Labour and Freedom, we call on all democratic forces to take a common stance against this decision, which is a political move. We condemn the illegal verdict and call on people to strengthen the common struggle to protect the will of the people."
