Following a debate on a report by Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, SOC/G/PD), the Congress voted on 29 October 2026 to submit written observations by way of third-party intervention in the case of imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu against Türkiye, which is before the European Court of Human Rights.
The Congress pointed out that such an intervention aimed to provide the Court with insights relating to its contextual assessment, in the interest of the proper administration of justice. It highlighted the value for the Court of receiving information, observations and analyses from bodies whose expertise may provide a more enlightened basis for its deliberations.
The Congress Standing Rapporteurs on Human Rights, in co-operation with the Rapporteurs on the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Türkiye, will submit written observations on behalf of the Congress. These observations will draw notably on the relevant Congress reports, resolutions, recommendations and declarations concerning local democracy in Türkiye.
***
