Message from his prisons Silver, where it is held by March 19, was sent by Imamoglou, Mayor of Constantinople, to George Papandreou and participants in 27th Symi Symposium, held in Skiathos from July 13 to 17.
Imamoglou pointing out that because of his imprisonment by the regime Erdogan He is not able to participate in this year’s Symi Symposium, he stresses through his message that in addition to suspending his social media accounts, visitors, people who want to visit him in prison, has also been banned.
“George, when you came to Turkey and asked to visit me at Silver, They denied it. But you didn’t stop there. You went to Ankara, you met my party’s president, Mr Özgür Özel, and you stood – as always – on the side of democratic values, when it matters. This kind of solidarity matters well beyond politics. It marks moral clarity and courage in times of confusion, “Erem Imoglu said in his message, adding that:” When far -right populist rhetoric is trying to appear as an alternative to democracy, let’s be clear: it is not the democracy. ” They are- argues- those who abandon the justice, surrounding democracy and undermine peace those who fragment the world order. “When governments put faith in the face above law, violence over dialogue and control over consensus, they do not only erode democracy inside – destabilize the international community,” he also points out.
The text of Ekrem Imamoglu’s letter to the Symposium is as follows:
‘Dear George,
Dear friends, it has always been my desire to participate in the Symi Symposium – an initiative where democratic voices are concentrated honestly and collectively.
George, you kindly invite me every year. Unfortunately, this year I am not with you on the island, but I am addressing you through a prison cell, where I have been held since March 19 – not because I violated a law, but because I represented the democratic will of the people of Constantinople and Turkey. This will is clear: the demand for justice, for pluralism and democratic change.
My imprisonment is an attack on people’s right to shape their future. For this very reason, since March, citizens throughout Turkey have taken to the streets. They have raised their voice, peacefully but with determination, against this injustice.
However, efforts to silence me continue: my social media accounts have been suspended, visitors have been banned.
George, when you came to Turkey and asked to visit me in Silivri, they denied it. But you didn’t stop there. You went to Ankara, you met my party’s president, Mr Özgür Özel, and you stood – as always – on the side of democratic values, when it matters. This kind of solidarity matters well beyond politics. It marks moral clarity and courage in times of confusion.
Dear comrades,
As you concentrate on how to reflect on how we can revitalize democracy and reinvent governance in a fragmented world, I suggest that we start with the most fundamental foundation: justice. No democratic system can thrive when justice turns into a weapon. No model of governance can inspire confidence without transparency – not only at the local level, but at every institution, from townhouses to parliaments and courts.
In this fragmented world, where the far -right populist rhetoric is trying to appear as an alternative to democracy, let’s be clear: it is not the democracy it fails. It is those who leave justice, surrounding democracy and undermine peace those who fragment the world order.
When governments put faith in the face above the law, violence over dialogue and control over consensus, they do not only erode democracy within them – they also destabilize the international community.
We wake up almost every day in front of a new crisis.
In most cases, it is not chaos but a deliberate strategy.
They are the consequences of authoritarian regimes, whose thirst for control and survival leads them to produce polarization, conflicts and wars – both against their peoples themselves and beyond the borders.
History teaches us that authoritarianism can be deafening, but it is never permanent. And at this time, we have to choose: Will we turn a look or dwell on those who rule with fear?
There will be better days – if we remain loyal to our common values and we are not afraid to defend them. “