A powerful recognition and a reminder that the fight for democracy is far from over.
On 13 January in Gdańsk, during an official ceremony held in the city that symbolises Europe’s struggle for freedom and solidarity, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul and PES Group–nominated candidate, was officially named winner of the 2026 Paweł Adamowicz Award for Freedom and Courage.
The international jury recognised Mayor İmamoğlu for his brave and unwavering defence of democracy, local self-government and fundamental freedoms, in a context of growing political pressure and democratic backsliding in Türkiye.
A European award rooted in courage and solidarity
The Paweł Adamowicz Award honours individuals and organisations who stand up for freedom, tolerance, solidarity and democratic values, often at great personal risk.
Named after Paweł Adamowicz, the former Mayor of Gdańsk who was assassinated in 2019 after years of defending openness, minority rights and European values, the award carries a profound political and moral meaning. Gdańsk remains the natural home of this distinction.
Past laureates include mayors, activists and civil society leaders who, across Europe and beyond, have embodied local democracy as the first line of defence against authoritarianism.
A historic, pan-European mobilisation
This victory is also the result of a formidable collective mobilisation: one of the strongest ever for the Paweł Adamowicz Award.
In 2025, the PES Group launched the nomination of Mayor İmamoğlu, the imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul, as a clear political act of solidarity with democratically elected local leaders under attack. The response across Europe was immediate and powerful.
🔴 More than 50 Members of the European Parliament
🔴 45 Members of the European Committee of the Regions
🔴 9 European city networks and Turkish civil society organisations joined their voices in support of the nomination.
🤝 Nearly 9,000 European and Turkish citizens united in solidarity, signing the petition and sending a clear message: democracy at local level must be defended everywhere.
This broad mobilisation reflected an exceptional cross-political consensus within the European Committee of the Regions, with support coming from all political groups except one. It demonstrated that beyond political affiliations, the defence of democracy, local self-government and fundamental freedoms remains a shared European responsibility.
We could not have achieved this without the unwavering commitment of our progressive allies in the European Parliament, civil society partners, city networks, and local and regional leaders across Europe who refused to stay silent.
Last month, we already received encouraging news when Mayor İmamoğlu was shortlisted. Today, the announcement of his victory sends a strong European message: democracy at local level matters and Europe is watching.
Democracy under pressure in Türkiye
The award comes at a critical moment.
Since the historic local elections of March 2024, which saw opposition mayors win a clear mandate in Türkiye’s largest cities, democratic space has continued to shrink. Judicial pressure, arrests of elected mayors, and the systematic undermining of municipal autonomy have become tools to silence political opposition.
The arrest of Mayor İmamoğlu in March 2025, alongside dozens of municipal officials, marked a dramatic escalation, widely condemned by European institutions, the Council of Europe and international observers as incompatible with democratic standards.
In this context, the Paweł Adamowicz Award is not only a tribute. It is a political signal.
“Congratulations... and we continue”
For the PES Group, this recognition reinforces a clear conviction:
local democracy is not secondary democracy.
From Istanbul to Gdańsk, from Barcelona to Selçuk, mayors are on the frontline: delivering public services, defending social justice, and protecting democratic space when national institutions falter.
As stated in the unanimous urgent resolution adopted by the European Committee of the Regions, the systematic targeting of elected mayors in Türkiye represents a direct assault on local democracy and the rule of law.
The resolution, which called for the immediate release of imprisoned Turkish mayors and an end to the practice of dismissing elected representatives, made clear that undermining local self-government does not only weaken municipalities: it tears at the very democratic fabric of a country and erodes trust in democratic institutions at every level.
This strong and united political stance by the European Committee of the Regions was the starting point of Europe’s collective mobilisation and it remains the cornerstone of our continued engagement in defence of democracy, elected local leadership and fundamental rights in Türkiye.
That is why our message today is twofold:
Congratulations to Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
And: the fight continues.
The PES Group will continue to:
- defend elected mayors and local councillors under pressure,
- raise the issue of local democracy in EU–Türkiye relations,
- stand firmly for democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights without shortcuts and without silence.
Because courage deserves recognition.
And democracy deserves defenders, everywhere.
Image credit: Medyascope TV, “Ekrem İmamoğlu, 30 January 2025”, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
