The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemned the 'human rights violations' in Turkey.

The bill, accepted with 90 votes against 8, includes 'harsh criticisms' directed at Turkey.

During the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held on Wednesday, Turkey was brought up as an 'urgent issue'. The meeting addressed the ongoing events surrounding the detention, suspension from duty, and arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul from the Republican People's Party (CHP), as well as the "mobility" in the judiciary. In the assembly, where Turkey is represented by 18 members of parliament from both the ruling and opposition parties, the bill prepared by Austrian parliamentarian Stefan Schennach and British parliamentarian Lord David Blencathra was put to a vote after the session. It was reported that two parliamentarians abstained from the vote, while the bill was accepted with 90 votes against 8. The document contains several "harsh criticisms" directed at Turkey. The PACE expressed "concern" over the events, summarizing the developments as an "attempt to suppress political opposition, hinder activities, stifle pluralism, and restrict freedom of political discourse." It also mentioned İmamoğlu's revoked university diploma and referred to the ongoing protests regarding his arrest: "PACE strongly condemns the arbitrary detention and arrest of protesters, as well as the use of excessive force by law enforcement during the protests and the mistreatment or other human rights violations against those held in custody." İmamoğlu's university diploma had been revoked by the Istanbul University Board of Directors one day before his detention, on Tuesday, March 18. The university administration decided to revoke the diplomas of 28 individuals, including İmamoğlu, citing 'lack' and 'clear error' as reasons. Additionally, it stated the following regarding journalists detained or arrested: "Journalists and media organizations should be free to report on issues of public interest, including protests and other related events, and should not be punished or harassed for carrying out journalistic activities." Recently, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who was in Turkey to report on the protests that took place nationwide on March 28, was arrested and sent to prison on Friday, facing charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization" and "insulting the president." On the other hand, the document, which was overwhelmingly accepted in the assembly, positively welcomed the call for disarmament by Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). However, it emphasized the "disappointment" due to the ongoing "worrisome" events surrounding İmamoğlu's detention and arrest. Öcalan's letter titled "Call for Peace and Democratic Society," which included his call for "disarmament," was read at a meeting held by the Peoples' Freedom and Democracy Party (DEM Party) deputies at the Elite World Hotel in Istanbul on Thursday, February 27. Founded on November 28, 1978, in the Lice district of Diyarbakır, the PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and many other countries. PKK militants have killed nearly 15,000 people in attacks sustained for almost 40 years, according to official figures. Öcalan has been held in İmralı Prison in the Sea of Marmara since 1999, when he was sentenced to life imprisonment for founding and managing a terrorist organization.

What happened? İmamoğlu was detained the day after his diploma from Istanbul University was revoked on March 18 and was later arrested on March 23 as part of a 'corruption' investigation. This entire process followed recent investigations opened against the İBB president in the past weeks and came before the CHP's presidential candidate primary. At the beginning of these investigations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had stated, "They know very well that there are bigger potatoes in the bag. This is the reason for their panic." However, on the same day as his arrest, İmamoğlu was declared the CHP's presidential candidate with nearly 15 million votes. He was subsequently suspended from his position as İBB president by a decision of the Ministry of Interior. Nuri Aslan, a CHP city council member, was elected as the acting İBB president in his place. The mass protests triggered by İmamoğlu's detention and subsequent arrest have turned into the largest demonstrations seen in Turkey in over a decade. The police responded to the protests with tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. Security forces are making harsh interventions against the demonstrators in many major cities across the country, especially Istanbul. The number of detentions and arrests is also increasing alongside the protests. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the protests as a 'violent movement' in a statement he made after the cabinet meeting in Ankara. Economists estimate that the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey intervened up to $25 billion to support the lira during the three days İmamoğlu was in custody.