11.04.2025 14:32
The leader of the CHP, Özgür Özel, described British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's silence regarding the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as a "historic mistake." Speaking to the Guardian, Özel stated, "After everything is over, we will remember the silence of our friends."
Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel, in an interview with one of the UK's leading media outlets, the Guardian, described UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's silence regarding the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as "a historical mistake."
"STARMER WILL STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN THIS ATTITUDE IN THE FUTURE"
Özel emphasized that İmamoğlu's arrest should not be seen merely as a "domestic issue of Turkey," stating that Starmer would struggle to explain this attitude in the future.
"WE WILL REMEMBER THE SILENCE OF OUR FRIENDS"
Criticizing Starmer for not speaking out against the pressures on the CHP, Özel said, "When this process is over, we will remember the silence of our friends much more than the loud words of our enemies." The CHP leader recalled that some European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, reacted to İmamoğlu's arrest, criticizing the lack of a similar voice from the UK.