In Istanbul, 19 members of the socialist party ESP and the youth organization SGDF were arrested on Wednesday morning. According to the party's executive committee, they are accused of taking part in funerals. According to the statement of the central executive committee, the latest wave of repression is a continuation of the political annihilation attacks on ESP.

Among those arrested are the ESP co-chair Şahin Tümüklü and the co-chair of the Youth Federation SGDF, Alev Özkiraz. In September, 17 members were arrested for alleged membership in a terrorist organisation, among them the former ESP chairperson Çiçek Otlu and Sedat Şenoğlu, member of the ESP party council and co-chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK).

"Our party will not be diverted from its path or wiped out. We are not afraid of attacks and do not take a step back in our struggle. No, we are challenging fascism again and again,” the ESP Executive Committee said.

ESP called on all social groups to fight together against the regime in Turkey, saying: "From the labourers to the Kurds, from the women to the LGBTI+, from the Alevis to the youth, the intellectuals and journalists: Let's take another step forward to smash fascism. Let us unite our anger and our strength, let us meet on the streets and squares. The fascist attacks will not stop. Fascism can only be stopped by the common struggle of the progressive and revolutionary forces."

Socialist Party of the Oppressed

The ESP (Turkish: Ezilenlerin Sosyalist Partisi) was founded in 2010. One of its founding members is Figen Yüksekdağ, who was the chairwoman of ESP until September 2014. After resigning from her office, Yüksekdağ joined the HDP, and shortly thereafter ESP joined the HDP, which functions as the umbrella party of several small parties. At the second HDP party congress, Figen Yüksekdağ was elected HDP co-chair on 22 June 2014. At the same time as Selahattin Demirtaş and numerous other HDP members of parliament, she was arrested on November 4, 2016 at the instigation of the Turkish president Erdoğan.

A bomb attack was carried out on the youth organisation of ESP, the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF), on 20 July 2015. The ISIS attack in Suruç district in the province of Urfa killed 33 mainly young people. The activists had gathered at the Amara cultural center and wanted to hold a press conference before their departure for Kobanê. The planned trip to Kobanê was supposed to be an act of solidarity. The young people wanted to take children's toys and humanitarian aid supplies to the city destroyed by the ISIS. 104 other people were injured in the attack.