The Turkish police arrested two individuals on Sunday in connection with an armed attack on the Sultangazi district office of the country’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in İstanbul the day before. According to the General Directorate of Security, the primary suspect, known only as M.K., was apprehended after being linked to the attack via a vehicle with fake registration plates. Another individual, T.Ç., who was in contact with M.K. was also detained, while a third suspect, I.G., remains at large.
The attack took place on Saturday at around 12:20pm when shots were fired at the DEM Party’s Sultangazi branch office. Following an investigation by the İstanbul police’s Anti-Terrorism Branch, M.K. was identified and arrested. Police revealed that M.K. had a prior criminal record, including charges of intentional wounding, forgery and property damage. “We continue our fight against all criminal elements that disrupt the peace of our society,” the police statement read.
The attack on the DEM Party office prompted protests from the party and its supporters. Faruk Kaya, co-chair of the Sultangazi branch office, condemned the assault, stating, “This attack is not just against our party but against the people of Turkey.” Kaya called on local authorities to investigate the incident thoroughly. “If this crime is not solved, the authorities will be complicit,” he warned.
DEM Party MP Çiçek Otlu described the attack as part of a broader campaign of violence targeting activists and the Kurdish community. “The perpetrator is known. The government has empowered street gangs to attack revolutionaries and the Kurdish Freedom Movement,” Otlu stated, drawing parallels to previous attacks on party offices. She stated that the attack would not deter the party’s commitment to social justice.
The protest gathered support from various organisations, including the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) and representatives from the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Many speakers condemned the violent attack as a symptom of the increasingly hostile political climate in Turkey. The ESP’s Sultangazi branch co-chair Gamze Toprak pointed to a history of violence against political activists, saying, “Those responsible for this attack are the same people who remained silent after the murder of Deniz Poyraz.”
Deniz Poyraz was a member of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) who was tragically killed in a politically motivated attack on 17 June 2021. She was shot dead in the HDP’s İzmir branch office by Onur Gencer, a far-right nationalist with alleged ties to extremist groups.
