On February 3, 2025, the Turkish state carried out a large-scale wave of arrests targeting numerous revolutionary forces. Among those arrested were representatives of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), the Limter-Is Port Workers’ Union, the Central Workers’ Movement (BIH), the Beksav Cultural Center, the environmental organization Polen Ekoloji, the youth organization SGDF, and journalists from the ETHA news agency. A total of 82 people were taken into custody. This state attack is yet another attempt to silence antifascist and revolutionary forces in Turkey and suppress resistance against the fascist regime under the AKP and MHP.

What is particularly striking is the fact that while the state is negotiating with Abdullah Öcalan for the disarmament of the Kurdish movement, with no substantial progress made in the national question or democratic reforms, the repression against antifascist forces, even the bourgeois opposition, continues to escalate. A particularly notable example is the persecution of Istanbul's opposition CHP mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose arrest in March 2025 led to large scale mass mobilizations.

The repression against the ESP, which has positioned itself critically towards the current political process and is actively mobilizing against the NATO summit in Ankara in July 2025, is meant to serve as a warning to any antifascist and anti-imperialist forces in the country. Despite the repressive measures, the comrades of the ESP have shown their militant stance and moral strength in court as they resisted fascist pressures.

These arrests and persecutions are just the beginning of a series of repressive measures that will be taken against all antifascist forces and political resistance in the country. A new generation of fascist jurists is already in office, with the new Minister of Justice, Akin Gürlek, acting strictly according to political orders and already planning significant restrictions on the rights of lawyers.

While the AKP once faced the threat of being banned as a party and vehemently opposed such repression at times, it now seeks to de facto eliminate any parties that oppose the fascism.

Worldwide, repression against revolutionary and antifascist forces is growing, accompanied by the rise of fascism and the threat of imperialist wars. Reports of similar repressive measures are emerging from countries such as Cameroon, India, and Nepal. In light of this international development, international solidarity becomes even more important. The experiences of resistance and international solidarity are invaluable, and we must build upon them.

In this critical situation, ICOR is calling for a comprehensive solidarity campaign for the revolutionary socialists in Turkey.

Suggested Solidarity Actions:

1. Protests in front of Turkish government representations

2. Protest emails to the Turkish Ministry of Justice

3. Documentation and publication of solidarity actions on the ICOR website

4. Regular updates on the status of the legal proceedings

5. Take on prisoner partnerships: Get involved in prisoner partnership by sending letters, organizing donations and support

6. Send solidarity messages to like-minded organizations, for example, from port workers to detained port workers, or from cultural workers to political prisoners in the cultural work.

7. Create videos and solidarity messages for social media: Record and share videos calling for the freedom of the ESP prisoners and all political prisoners in Turkey.

8. Creative contributions for the prisoners: Write poems, songs, or create artwork to show solidarity with the imprisoned. (An example: Female prisoners from the music group Grup Vardiya sent a song on March 8th about communicating via telephone: Listen here)

Long live international solidarity!

Freedom for the prisoners of the ESP and all political prisoners in Turkey!

Adresses of the prisoners:

Kocaeli 1 No’lu F Tipi Hapishanesi, Turkey

• Kerem Bükre

• Sıtkı Güngör

Kocaeli 2 No’lu F Tipi Hapishanesi, Turkey

• Cemil Aksu

• Erol Tunç

Bakırköy Kadın Kapalı Hapishane, Turkey

B-6 Koğuşu

• Aynur Ergül

• Ayşe Nur Demir

• Berfin Polat

• Beycan Taşkıran

• Dilan Ergül

• Dilara Sul Kalpak

• Elif Bayburt

• Ezgi Gürbüz

• Fatma Çelik

• Fatma Saygılı

• Gamze Toprak

• Hacer Elçin

• Latife Canan Kaplan

• Leyla Can

• Meral Tatar

• Nadiye Gürbüz

• Pınar Gayıp

• Ruşa Sabur

• Satiye Ok

• Sema Uçar

• Serpil Topal

• Songül Akbay

• Sonnur Sağlamer

• Tanya Kara

• Yağmur Apa

Elazığ 1 No’lu Yüksek Güvenlikli Hapishane, Turkey

• Orhan Çelebi

Antep H Tipi Hapishane, Turkey

• Hasan Çandır

• Mustafa Yağ

Antep L Tipi Hapishane, Turkey

• Endam Hatice Özarslan

Malatya Akçadağ T Tipi Hapishane, Turkey

• Hacı Çiçek

• İdris Tikre

Urfa 1 No’lu T Tipi Hapishane, Turkey

• Beritan Aksu

Urfa 2 No’lu T Tipi Hapishane, Turkey

• İbrahim Halil Doğan

Adana Kürkçüler F Tipi Hapishane, Turkey

• Onur Yoldaş Mete

Marmara Kapalı Hapishane (Eski 9 No'lu)

• Murat Çepni, (ESP Co-Chair)

• İleri Devrim Yurttsever

• Uğur Ok

• Şahin Tümüklü

• Ali Haydar Saygılı

• Okan Danacı

• Ahmet Uçar

• Kanber Saygılı

• Aydın Kılıçdere

• Berkan Balcı

• Muhammet Çelik

• Cafer Erozoğlu

• Hüseyin Gültepe

• Şükran Yaren Tuncer Yıldırım

• Eylem Taş

• Havvanur İdiz

Marmara 2 No’lu L Tipi Hapishane

F-9 Alt Hücre

• Cemre Nayir

• Emrah Topaloğlu

• Levent Tuncaloğlu

• Tayfun Kalpak

Marmara 2 No’lu L Tipi Hapishane

F-6 Alt Hücre

• Ali İhsan Tekiş

• Aytaç Sarıkaya

• Aziz Benli

• Cem Ardıç

• Erdoğan Gürbüz

• Mehmet Ali Tosun

• Müslüm Koyun

• Osman Kara

• Ramazan Karakaya

Marmara 6 No’lu L Tipi Hapishane

F-9 Alt Oda

• Hasan Polat

• Hakkı Demiral

• Rıza Çimen

• Süleyman Horoz

Marmara 6 No’lu L Tipi Hapishane

F-9 Üst Oda

• Hasan Hüseyin Yeşilova

Marmara 6 No’lu L Tipi Hapishane

Teklilerde Kalanlar

F-3 Üst’te Tekilde Kalanlar

• Can Tekin

• Ali Çiftçi

• Özgür Aras

• Yusuf Çıtırık

Marmara 6 No’lu L Tipi Hapishane

F-6 Üst’te Teklide Kalanlar

• Kenan Hesass

• Tugay Köse

• Ahmet Bilal Bay

• Serdal Işık