The Council of Europe said on Wednesday it "strongly condemned" the detention of Istanbul Mayor and President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, Ekrem Imamoglu, as a move against the will of the people.
In a statement, a congress on local and regional authorities at the Council of Europe said the move "bares all the hallmarks of the pressure on a political figure", adding that the congress would raise the issue at a meeting next week.