Response to interpellation 2024/25:260 on the removal of democratically elected mayors in Turkey
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the removal of democratically elected mayors in Turkey. M argues that the government shares the EU's assessment that the removal weakens local democracy 1 and that a government should never have the right to remove politically elected representatives 2. M emphasizes that Sweden defends the democratic system and the rights of minorities through work within the EU, UN, and the Council of Europe 1 as well as that the government is actively working to promote democracy 3 2. V believes that the government must protest more directly against the removal 4 5 and argues that they have consistently stood up for the rights of the Kurds 4 5. SD considers what is happening to be a tragedy for democracy 6 and that Sweden must raise its voice against Erdogan 7 as well as against the political development where democracy is being dismantled 8.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has asked me whether I will voice criticism regarding the dismissal of the democratically elected mayors by Turkey's ambassador to Sweden and in what other ways I will highlight and criticize the violations of democracy and human rights occurring in Turkey. She has also asked in what way I will highlight the Kurds' particularly vulnerable situation in today's Turkey.
The Government continues to work for democratic development in Turkey and for human rights to be fully respected. This includes, among other things, working to strengthen the conditions for human rights defenders, journalists, hbtqi persons, minority groups and politicians, including women and young people in political decision-making. The Government also works to ensure the right to free and fair elections as well as to strengthen the fundamental right to freedom of expression, without threats or oppression.
Sweden plays an active role in the EU and other international forums to encourage Turkey towards development in a more democratic direction. In a joint EU statement in the UN Human Rights Council in March last year, our concern over the negative developments in the country was expressed. Together with the EU, we have pointed out the regression for democracy and the rule of law principles in Turkey.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer to my interpellation, even though I am not particularly satisfied with it! I think the answer is designed in a rather perfunctory manner.
In recent years, the situation for Kurds in Turkey has deteriorated significantly. According to reports from both Human Rights Watch and the UN, the Turkish government under President Erdogan's rule has systematically restricted the human rights of the Kurdish population.
Unfortunately, almost no protests are heard from the Swedish government, instead the government seems to completely duck from the major abuses occurring in Turkey. This became particularly clear during the Swedish NATO process. It is clear that Sweden's previously critical voice has fallen silent when it comes to human rights violations in Turkey, especially regarding the abuses against the Kurdish population.
The Minister says in his response that the government continues to work for a democratic development in Turkey and for human rights to be fully respected, but I lack concrete measures. To merely refer to a joint EU statement in the UN Human Rights Council from March last year is far from sufficient.
At the end of the autumn of 2024, democratically elected mayors in ten cities were dismissed - when I wrote the interpellation, it was eight. Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and several others were dismissed and replaced by officials who manage the municipalities for the ruling AKP-MHP government. More cities are threatened, and more mayors risk being dismissed.
Removing democratically elected mayors is a serious crime against democracy, something that must be forcefully condemned. A number of organizations working for human rights, including the Council of Europe, of which Sweden is a member, have done so. The removed mayors were elected in local elections on March 31, 2024. The election led to a major defeat for Erdogan's political alliance. Despite groundless arrests, persecution of political candidates, and attacks against the pro-Kurdish DEM party, the party managed to win in approximately 75 municipalities. It is obviously something that Erdogan has had difficulty accepting, and the removal of the mayors is a result of this.
What has the Swedish government done to protest against the abuses of democracy in Turkey? What has the Swedish government done, in concrete terms, to stand up for the rights of the Kurdish population?
From the Left Party's side, we view with concern how Sweden's voice for human rights and democracy in Turkey and northern Kurdistan has fallen silent since the NATO process for Swedish membership began and since we became members of NATO.
We are critical of the Swedish government's lack of commitment, in light of the serious situation facing oppositionists and in particular Kurds in today's Turkey.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! What is happening in Turkey is a tragedy for democracy, and it is a brutal attack against human rights.
When democratically elected mayors are dismissed and replaced with officials loyal to the Erdogan regime, it is not only an insult to those who voted for these leaders. It is also a clear signal that President Erdogan does not respect the will of the people. It is yet another chapter, in a long series, of oppression specifically directed against the Kurdish people.
My father is Kurdish from Turkey, and I have heard about the injustices and abuses that have long characterized the Kurdish people. What is happening in Turkey today is a continuation of the same pattern: harassment, arrests, persecution of political opponents, and a silenced opposition. Kurds – whether they are politicians, journalists, or ordinary citizens – are particularly vulnerable.
But, Mr. Speaker, let us be clear! It is a hypocrisy on the part of the Left Party to criticize the government for a lack of commitment in this issue. The Islamism that Erdogan stands for and which is the oppressive ideology in Turkey, the Left Party refuses to criticize because of the anxiety one feels toward criticizing Islamists. The Left Party is the party in Sweden that has opposed a stricter migration policy and demands for adaptation, which has allowed these medieval values to gain a foothold here in the country.
The Sweden Democrats have not fallen silent on these issues. On the contrary, we work consistently to strengthen democracy both at home and internationally. Sweden's membership in Nato has not changed our view on human rights. We continue to put forward clear demands on Turkey, something that the Left Party with its unclear policy has never succeeded in achieving.
My question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs is: How does the government ensure that Sweden's work for democratic and human rights in Turkey is not negatively affected by our cooperation within Nato, and how do we mark Erdogan's crimes against democracy and the Kurdish people?
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! When Putin slowly but surely eroded democracy in Russia, many countries remained silent and did not protest. The protests that did come were often embedded in diplomatic terms so as not to jeopardize bilateral relations. Today we can see what happens when one lets a tyrant do exactly what he wants.
There is no doubt that Erdogan has been inspired by Putin. One of Putin's first actions as president was to dismantle local self-government in Russia. Instead of the people electing governors, it is now Putin who appoints governors.
Local self-government in Russia was dismantled after the terror attack against Beslan in 2004. Now, Erdogan is using a terror attack in Turkey to begin the dismantling of local self-government in Turkey. There, democratically elected mayors are to be replaced by Erdogan-loyal officials.
It is difficult not to see the similarities. We know where this is going to lead, so it is just as well to raise one's voice now. A terrorist attack is not an excuse to dismantle democracy in a country. Let us not forget, however: This is not an isolated incident, but it occurs in a context. Under President Erdogan, Turkey has become an Islamist country while the world has remained silent for various reasons.
Three years ago, Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention. It is a convention that, among other things, requires that legislation be introduced against domestic violence and female genital mutilation. Erdogan decided unilaterally that Turkey would leave the Istanbul Convention, without letting Turkey's parliament approve the decision. That is how a dictator acts. Turkey's president gives as the official reason for Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention that he believes the convention normalizes homosexuality.
It has long been obvious that Turkey is a country where the Islamists have taken over and are trying to dismantle democracy in every possible way. Now it is time for Sweden to raise its voice and speak out.
Under Erdogan's leadership, Turkey has become an ally of the terrorist organization Hamas. After the terror attack against Israel on October 7, Erdogan praised Hamas and called this organization a liberation organization. In every possible way, Turkey has become a pariah state. Some, however, do not want to understand it, just as one did not want to accept Putin's and Russia's dangerous ambitions until it was actually too late. Here we have de facto a dictator in Turkey who supports various Islamist terrorist organizations, wants to introduce medieval laws in Turkey, and has now also dismantled local government in Turkey.
If Sweden does not raise its voice against Erdogan now, one has not stood up for democracy on a global level. An ideological struggle is taking place on a global level between democracy and authoritarianism, and in that, Sweden has an obligation to stand up for democracy.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! In the European Commission's annual country report on the expansion on October 31, the issues that Lotta Johnsson Fornarve raises in her interpellation are highlighted.
In the conclusions of the Council from the meeting of the EU ministers on 17 December, we in the Council repeated our deep concern over the developments in Turkey. Among other things, it was pointed out that the presidential system stipulated by the constitution has weakened the Turkish parliament's oversight function. There also lack sufficient tools to scrutinize and hold the government accountable. Furthermore, the Turkish government's removal of elected mayors has weakened local democracy. Sweden shares the European Commission's assessment. It is clear that the EU's relations with Turkey have several obstacles to overcome.
The 2024 local elections resulted in significant successes for the opposition. According to the final election observation report from the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the elections were well-organized with a wide range of political alternatives and a strong civic engagement.
At the beginning of November, Turkish police arrested and removed a mayor from a large municipality in Istanbul governed by the opposition party CHP. Officially, suspicions of collusion with the PKK and accusations of alleged terrorist crimes were presented. This has given rise to extensive domestic criticism that the arrest is politically motivated. Several other mayors, including in areas governed by the pro-Kurdish DEM party, have been removed in a similar manner and replaced by government representatives.
That opposition mayors are dismissed constitutes a serious source of concern and means that the will of the people is not respected. It also undermines local democracy. Sweden expects that an EU candidate country safeguards democratic processes and respects election results.
Just as the interpellor describes, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have strongly criticized the removal of the mayor. It is of the utmost importance that the international community reacts, and for Sweden, it is obvious to defend the democratic system as well as the rights of Kurds and other minorities in Turkey. The government will continue to stand up for this in bilateral relations, in talks with Turkish representatives, and through work within the EU, UN, and the Council of Europe. It is clear that now that we are also partners in Nato, there are additional forums to discuss these issues.
In conclusion, I want to say that I understand that Lotta Johnsson Fornarve was not satisfied with the answer to the interpellation, as she also did not listen when I presented it.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! I did listen to the Minister, and I also read the response very carefully before I came to the chamber.
I am nevertheless glad that the minister says that it is a serious crime to remove democratically elected mayors. I think that is positive.
That the democratically elected mayors were dismissed led to large demonstrations and protests. A large number of the people who exercised their democratic right to protest were deprived of their liberty in connection with the protests, and mass indictments have been filed against at least 33 of these. Human Rights Watch writes in a statement that the decision by Erdogan's government to dismiss democratically elected mayors and dissolve municipal councils is a significant blow to Turkey's democratic credentials and violates the rights of over half a million voters who used their voices to elect the now-dismissed mayors.
This is not how it can go! The rest of the world, including Sweden, must react and act with even greater force than we have done so far against these gross violations of democracy and human rights.
The Kurdish mayors are accused of terrorism by Erdogan, just as we heard here in the response, but we must remember that it is enough to be critical of Erdogan's rule to be accused of terrorism. The imprisoned former HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas is an example of this. Demirtas was sentenced to 42 years in prison solely because he, as an opposition politician, did his job and criticized Erdogan's policies. PEN International condemns the shocking sentence against the author and honorary member Selahattin Demirtas and says in a statement that the fact that he continues to languish behind bars despite the European Court of Human Rights having ruled that he should be released is a mockery of what remains of Turkey's justice system.
Turkey has not become more democratic after the Swedish NATO entry, but rather the opposite. The Kurdish population has been hit particularly hard, but also women in general have been affected by Turkey leaving the Istanbul Convention on combating violence against women, which has led to increased violence against women.
Turkey is today a country where the possibility of conducting political opposition is strongly restricted, where the media is controlled by the state and where the right of association is mutilated. Over 130,000 public officials at different levels have been purged. Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey at place 158 out of 180. This admittedly represents a small improvement, but this occurs after several years of severe deterioration and represents a ranking that is only insignificantly better than Russia's.
A recurring pattern is also that the Turkish state labels critics of Erdogan as terrorists. Exactly the same reasons and labels are used by Erdogan when he demands that Sweden should deport people who have fled from Turkey.
I hope that the minister can protest even more clearly against the dismissal of the ten now-dismissed mayors, which is a flagrant violation of democracy, and that she can convey this to Turkey's ambassador here in Sweden and in other ways draw attention to and criticize these violations of human rights even more than she has done until now.
The Sweden Democrats call me a hypocrite, but the Left Party is the party that has consistently and most clearly stood up for Kurds' rights both in Turkey and in Sweden. I mean that the real hypocrites are the Sweden Democrats who pit people against each other and create a society built on hate and fear.
Sara Gille (SD)
Mr. Speaker! The Left Party's commitment in these issues rings hollow. This is, after all, the same party that has historically had dealings with Islamist movements and which has supported actors who contribute to oppression, both in the Middle East and elsewhere. When they now criticize the government, it is nothing other than pure and simple populism.
What is happening in Turkey is obviously unacceptable. To remove democratically elected mayors and replace them with regime-loyal officials is an attack on democracy and an oppression of the Kurdish people. But it is nothing new. Erdogan has long shown that he despises democracy when it threatens his power. Kurds become, as so many times before, targets in this power struggle.
The Sweden Democrats have been clear in their criticism of Turkey's violations of human rights and democracy. At the same time, the Left Party has over the years had a backpack full of relations with regimes and groups that in practice are not far from Erdogan's authoritarian actions. It is like pointing a finger at a dictator with one hand while shaking hands with another dictator with the other.
Mr. Speaker! Sweden needs a clear and straightforward foreign policy, not hypocritical moral finger-pointing from a party that itself has contributed to the confusion we see today. Sverigedemokraterna will work to ensure that the government stands firm in its line to safeguard democracy and human rights, regardless of who threatens them. It is this consistent stance that makes a difference, not Vänsterpartiet's theatrical maneuvers.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Erdogan has used various pressures against Sweden and the EU to silence criticism of his imposition of an Islamist dictatorship in Turkey. One of these pressures was his negative attitude towards Sweden during the NATO process. Another has been Turkey's role as a transit country for migrants where Turkey, despite an agreement with the EU, has several times threatened to let migrants through and create a chaotic situation in Europe.
It is not that Turkey is an unimportant country from a geopolitical perspective. It is a very important country, and this is the very reason why Sweden must raise its voice when we see with our own eyes that Turkey is becoming an Islamist dictatorship. If such an important country that can exert pressure on Western countries, including Sweden, becomes a full-fledged Islamist dictatorship where Erdogan can dismiss mayors on a rolling basis, we will indeed live in a much more unstable world.
Already today, countries such as Syria, Libya, Armenia and Israel have experienced the instability that Erdogan's expansive foreign policy brings with it. The more autocratic Erdogan becomes, the more unstable the Middle East will become, and the instability will spread to Europe.
To work for democracy in Turkey is to work for peace in the world and stability in Europe. Precisely for that reason, Sweden must protest against the political development in Turkey where democracy is being dismantled bit by bit.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! I share Lotta Johnsson Fornarve's concern. The Government views the developments in Turkey regarding respect for human rights with very great seriousness, and it is well known that there are significant deficiencies in Turkey in this area.
Most recently in October, I answered a written question from another member regarding the restriction of the Kurds' rights in Turkey, and in the EU Commission's country report from October, the situation for minorities in Turkey, including Kurds, is described. The report highlights the occurrence of hate crimes, an increasingly hostile rhetoric, and excessive violence from the police against minorities. Furthermore, Kurdish cultural rights are being restricted, and a large number of Kurdish cultural events have been prohibited.
Sweden welcomes initiatives to resume a dialogue between the Turkish state and the Kurdish minority, and we continue to urge Turkey to live up to its commitments regarding the rights of minorities.
Just like Turkey, Sweden is a member of the Council of Europe. The government supports the Council of Europe's demands that Turkey must enforce the European Court of Human Rights' judgments and release opposition leader Selahattin Demirtas and human rights defender Osman Kavala. It is serious that Turkey has not yet done so in the cases in question.
The importance of respecting the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights is something that Sweden, together with other members, repeatedly emphasizes at meetings in the Council of Europe. We convey these messages not only multilaterally but also in our bilateral contacts with Turkey.
Sida and our foreign authorities on the ground in Turkey work to strengthen respect for human rights, democracy, and the principles of the rule of law. Sweden contributes actively through the embassy in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul to the work for human rights and democracy in Turkey.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for further answers!
Vänsterpartiet views with concern how Sweden's voice for human rights and democracy in Turkey and northern Kurdistan has quieted significantly. Now, however, I hear the minister say that she intends to work for human rights, democracy, and the Kurds' rights in a clearer way, and I am glad about that. I truly hope that will be the case and that the government will, in a clearer and more powerful way, protest against the removal of the democratically elected mayors in Turkey.
It is extremely serious when democratically elected mayors are dismissed. If the Swedish government now truly means business about standing up for human rights, it must act and protest against this dismissal in a more direct way by turning directly to the Turkish government and the Turkish embassy. Furthermore, the issue must be raised even more clearly in various international contexts in the EU and the UN. I truly hope that will be the case.
The Sweden Democrats are a party that has difficulty sticking to the truth, something we have seen examples of on several occasions. I have said it before, and I say it again: the Left Party is a party that stands up for human rights everywhere in the world, and we are the first to protest everywhere where they are violated.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Mr. Speaker! The Government considers it of the utmost importance that democratic and free elections are guaranteed for all citizens, regardless of background or group affiliation. All people shall have the same right to express their opinions, influence the public debate, and form opinion. A government shall never have the right to remove politically elected representatives in any country.
To ensure that developments are moving in the right direction in Turkey, the government is actively working multilaterally within the EU, in the UN Human Rights Council, as well as in our bilateral contacts. The foreign authorities also act locally on the ground to promote democracy.
Sweden and the international community are, of course, closely following the developments in Turkey, and it is of the utmost importance that Sweden and the EU continue to clearly point out to Turkey that we have high expectations of a country that is, after all, a candidate country to the EU.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.