The Silivri prison not only holds captive the mayor of Istanbul, but also the will of millions of Turkish citizens who elected him democratically. This was stated by the mayor of Sofia and chairman of the network of Balkan cities B40 (B40) Vasil Terziev outside the prison, quoted by the Turkish publication "Birgun", BTA reported.
The Sofia mayor is part of a delegation of mayors and representatives from European cities that arrived in Istanbul in a sign of solidarity with the removed and imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.
"Today we are in front of the Silivri prison. This is not just a prison, but much more than that. The doors and walls of this prison not only hold captive one person, but also the will of millions of citizens who democratically elected the mayor of Istanbul. Right here, in front of this prison, we raise our collective voice for freedom as loudly as possible," "Birgun" quotes Vasil Terziev as saying.
The Vice President of the Network of European Cities "Eurocities" and Mayor of Barcelona Jaume Colboni also gave a speech in front of the prison in Silivri.
"Behind the walls of this prison is Ekrem İmamoğlu, the democratically elected mayor of Istanbul, who is being unjustly detained," he pointed out. "We will continue to stand in solidarity with our colleague, the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu. "His courage in defending democratic principles inspires us all," Kolboni also said, quoted by "Birgun".