European Parliament condemns Turkey's removal of opposition mayors

ANKARA (Reuters) - The European Parliament has condemned Turkish legal action against mayors from opposition parties, and called for municipal officials who have been detained in recent weeks to be released, acquitted and reinstated.

Authorities have removed mayors and municipal officials from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party over terrorism-related charges that both parties have denied.

Some CHP-run municipalities, as well as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, have faced investigations over alleged terrorism-related and corruption offences.

Thursday's statement from the European Parliament amounted to the strongest Western criticism so far of the crackdown.

EU lawmakers were "deeply concerned" about Turkey's "disregard of the rule of law and the government's violation of the fundamental principles of democracy". They also criticised Ankara for replacing the elected officials with trustees appointed by the government.

"Condemning the arbitrary dismissal and imprisonment of democratically elected mayors, MEPs call for their immediate release, acquittal and reinstatement," it said.

"They demand judicial reforms to abolish the trustee system, especially given the impact of these violations on local governance in Kurdish-majority areas, underlining the need to resume the Kurdish peace process."

The lawmakers urged the European Commission to consider imposing restrictive measures against Turkish officials involved in the moves, it added.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government has dismissed opposition accusations of political interference in the judiciary, which it says is independent.

On Thursday, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc threatened legal action after Turkey's leading business group TUSIAD, whose members account for 85% of Turkey's foreign trade, criticised the judicial crackdown on opposition leaders and journalists.

The moves come amid talks, supported by the government, with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia's jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Peter Graff)