The leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party, Özgür Özel from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of ignoring the recent arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and Turkey’s continuing democratic backsliding.
Özel expressed disappointment in an interview with The Guardian, pointing out that Starmer has not spoken out against the detention of CHP politician Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested last month on corruption charges. Øzel stated that Starmer is making a historical mistake by viewing the issue as “simply a domestic Turkish matter.”
The arrest of İmamoğlu, who served as the mayor of Istanbul for six years and is considered a significant political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, sparked the largest anti-government demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade. The CHP has called for twice-weekly rallies across the country and an economic boycott of companies believed to be close to Erdoğan.
While acknowledging European leaders’ condemnation of İmamoğlu’s arrest, Özel has called for a more forceful stance from Europe to pressure Ankara away from undermining democracy.
Özel also slammed the British government and Labour party for their silence regarding the events in Turkey and the deportation of BBC reporter Mark Lowen, who covered the protests. Despite Turkey’s potential role in providing peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, Özel argued against negotiating with Erdoğan on security concerns, emphasizing that democracy should not be compromised.
Özel declared that the upcoming election in Turkey would be a referendum on whether there would be autocracy or democracy in the country. Despite the detention of İmamoğlu, the CHP leader has stated that the party is prepared for the upcoming election, even if their candidate must campaign from behind bars. Özel criticized Starmer for not condemning the erosion of democratic rights and highlighted the consequences for both Erdoğan and Starmer on the international stage.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/11/turkish-opposition-leader-criticises-starmer-for-ignoring-arrest-of-istanbul-mayor
