The removal from office of eight further democratically elected mayors in Turkey concerns me greatly. In similar cases in the past, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, has found clear indications of political motives behind the dismissals. However, criminal justice proceedings are never a legitimate means of achieving political objectives. I would like to strongly remind Turkey of its responsibility to comply with the principles of rule of law and human rights in accordance with its international obligations.

I look back on a conversation I had with Dr Demir at the Bundestag in November and, with this in mind, I urge Turkey not to close down social projects promoting and upholding women’s rights, such as women’s education centres or women’s shelters, as it did when the provinces of southeastern Turkey were most recently placed under forced administration.