İmamoğlu to European Democrats: “To defend democracy in Türkiye is to defend Europe’s democracy”
One of the most emotional moments of the European Democratic Party Congress in Athens came on 24 October 2026. About 400 people gave a standing ovation to a special video message from imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The audience included 100 European delegates and more than 300 members of the Greek public.
İmamoğlu has been detained in Silivri Prison since March 2025. Speaking from there, he thanked the European Democrats for their unwavering solidarity and called for a global alliance to defend democracy against authoritarianism.
“Silence would have been easier”
İmamoğlu recalled that a year earlier he had addressed the EDP Congress in Bilbao from the same prison. He thanked EDP President François Bayrou and Secretary General Sandro Gozi personally: “Silence would have been easier; you chose to speak, and you called what is happening by its name.”
He described the situation in Türkiye: elected mayors are imprisoned, journalists are prosecuted and young people are brought before courts for exercising their right to protest. The struggle, he stressed, goes far beyond his personal freedom. It is about the fundamental right of every Turkish citizen to have their democratic choice respected.
Democracy as part of Europe’s security
İmamoğlu welcomed the EDP’s initiative to build a Global Alliance of Democrats, which would bring democratic forces together across national borders against authoritarianism and repression. “We come from different political traditions, but we are bound together by the universal values of freedom, human dignity and the rule of law.”
One of the strongest passages of his message linked democracy and European security. “To defend democracy in Türkiye is to defend Europe’s democracy as well.” Military strength alone cannot guarantee Europe’s security, he warned, without strong democratic institutions, independent courts and free elections. Protecting democracy must therefore be treated as an essential part of Europe’s security policy.
“For us, hope is not a feeling. It is the resistance itself, and we rebuild it every day,” he said. He closed with the words that have become the symbol of his political struggle: “Her şey çok güzel olacak. Everything will be beautiful.”
Gozi: “Erdoğan cannot imprison the aspirations of an entire people”
“We will never abandon the Turkish people in their struggle for freedom and democracy,” said Sandro Gozi, who is also a Member of the European Parliament. “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is becoming increasingly autocratic, increasingly determined to destroy what remains of Turkish democracy, imprisoning political opponents and undermining the fundamental principles of the rule of law. We will continue to stand firmly alongside Ekrem İmamoğlu, alongside his party and all Turkish democrats who refuse to surrender their freedom.”
“The standing ovation he received here in Athens, from European delegates and hundreds of Greek citizens, is a powerful demonstration that he is not alone. Erdoğan may imprison a political leader, but he cannot imprison the democratic aspirations of an entire people.”
The EDP Congress in Athens
The Congress took place in Athens on 23 and 24 October under the theme “The Final Countdown – It’s Time for Europe”. It brought together democratic leaders, parliamentarians and civil society representatives committed to defending freedom, fundamental rights and democracy in Europe and beyond.
