Ekrem İmamoğlu, İstanbul’s jailed mayor and opposition presidential candidate, has urged a return to the rule of law and parliamentary democracy to address long-standing demands for Kurdish political and cultural recognition in Turkey.
In a written statement issued Saturday on X, İmamoğlu, who is jailed in Silivri Prison, said peace and democracy cannot be achieved while opposition parties are treated as enemies and the judiciary is used as a political weapon.
His remarks came after a prison visit from Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, the co-chairs of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), who met with İmamoğlu on Thursday to discuss the path forward following a February 27 appeal by imprisoned militant leader Abdullah Öcalan for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay its down arms and disband.
The mayor said all future steps must be guided by the people’s will and conducted transparently through the Turkish parliament, not behind closed doors.
İmamoğlu proposed the creation of a parliamentary commission to oversee efforts aimed at ending armed conflict and expanding civil and political rights.
He described this effort as urgent and essential to national unity, stressing that “there can be no conditions for peace and democracy.”
İmamoğlu said that no sustainable solution can be achieved if authorities continue to enact what he called hostile laws against the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and other dissenting voices.
He warned that any attempt to bypass the opposition or prioritize political gain over national reconciliation would erode public trust in the process.
“The mentality that treats opponents as enemies cannot permanently resolve our problems,” he said.
İmamoğlu was detained in April along with several other mayors amid a wave of arrests targeting opposition figures.
International rights groups and the European Parliament have condemned the case as politically motivated.
In his statement, İmamoğlu also addressed regional tensions, including Israel’s strikes on Iran and the uncertain future of post-war Syria.
He said Turkey must pursue a foreign policy based in diplomacy, territorial integrity and democratic values while safeguarding its borders and avoiding provocations.
He voiced support for a Syrian constitution that guarantees equal rights for all communities, including Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Alevis and Druze.
İmamoğlu reaffirmed his belief in national unity, saying that Turkish and Kurdish citizens share a common past and must work together toward a democratic and equal future.
He invoked the founding principle of “Peace at home, peace in the world” as a lasting foundation for regional stability and internal reconciliation.
“The Republic of Turkey will carry us all to prosperous, equal and just days,” he said.
He ended the statement by thanking the DEM Party leaders for their visit and expressing hope for his reunion with the people.