Seventeen people were detained in house raids conducted in Izmir, Istanbul, Gümüşhane, and Adıyaman as part of an Izmir-based operation targeting the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) and the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF). A raid was also conducted on the ESP’s Izmir provincial headquarters.
State-affiliated Turkish media reported that the investigations are targeting alleged links to the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP), which is classified as a “terrorist organization.”
DEM Party calls for the release of detainees
In a statement on its social media account, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said: “Seventeen people were detained in raids on homes and provincial offices in Izmir targeting our affiliates ESP and SGDF. In this process, where we believe that peace must be socialized and are fighting to this end, these repressions and detentions are unacceptable. Our friends who have been detained must be released immediately. Peace and democratization can be built through dialogue, not by trying to intimidate those who think differently through repression.”
Two unionists detained
On the other hand, an investigation was launched against three union leaders on charges of “insulting the president,” citing slogans chanted during protests held on March 19.
Prosecutors have initiated proceedings against Olcay Çalık, Education Secretary of the İzmir Branch No. 5 of the General Labor Union (Genel-İş); Tolga Irmak, workplace representative at Konak MERBEL; and Serhan Demirtaş, Organization Secretary of the İzmir Branch No. 3 of Genel-İş.
Reports say that Olcay Çalık and Tolga Irmak will spend the night in custody at the police station where they were summoned for questioning. They are expected to be brought before the court tomorrow with a request for “pre-trial detention.”
ESP co-chair released from prison
Meanwhile, the trial of ESP co-chair Deniz Aktaş continued in Istanbul on Wednesday. The politician was imprisoned at the end of January and has been in pre-trial detention ever since on charges of “membership of a terrorist organization.” The 14th High Criminal Court at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan decided to release Aktaş on condition of house arrest. The trial will continue on October 16.
In her defense, Aktaş rejected the accusations as politically motivated. She emphasized that her imprisonment was related to legal political activities, including her role as co-chair of the ESP and her work for the left-wing newspaper Atılım and the women’s organization SKM. “This is not justice being served, but politics being played,” Aktaş said in court.
The ESP has long accused the Turkish government of systematically persecuting left-wing and opposition groups on charges of terrorism. The party is not banned and participates in elections in Turkey as a member party of the DEM Party.