Bureau of the Congress - Meeting of 21 May 2010

Declaration on elected representatives detained in Turkey

The Congress Bureau welcomes the release from prison of Abdullah Demirbas, Mayor of Sur, on medical grounds. This is a positive first step by the Turkish authorities.

In this spirit, the Bureau asks the government of Turkey to reconsider the continued detention without charge of two members of the Congress delegation, Mrs Leyla Güven and Mr Seyhmus Bayhan, as well as six other mayors and more generally all those incarcerated without charges having been brought against them.

 

The Bureau believes that dialogue is the only way to move forward towards a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue.