A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the pretrial detention of Sezin Uçar, a lawyer and deputy co-chair of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), as part of an ongoing investigation targeting the left-wing party on terrorism-related charges, Turkish media reported.
Uçar was detained at İstanbul Airport on Monday upon returning from abroad and was later arrested by the İstanbul 5th Magistrate Court of Peace after prosecutors sought her pretrial detention.
Her arrest is linked to a broader crackdown on the party that began with police operations across 23 provinces on February 3, followed by waves of detentions on February 5 and February 6. Authorities accused the detainees of membership in and disseminating propaganda for a terrorist organization. In total, 107 people were detained and 85 were arrested in the operation.
Uçar’s arrest prompted criticism from civil society and human rights groups.
The Law Office of the Oppressed (EHB) described the operation against the ESP as a “campaign of political repression” and called for Uçar’s immediate release.
The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) also expressed solidarity with Uçar, while the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) stated that the prosecutions aimed to criminalize political activity and democratic action, adding that her detention was unlawful.
Opposition parties and human rights groups have criticized increasing pressure on political pluralism in Turkey, particularly after the shift to a presidential system of governance in 2018. They argue that since then, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has increasingly relied on the judiciary to weaken political rivals, with opposition figures facing what critics describe as politically motivated investigations, prosecutions and imprisonment.
The trend has also been reflected in international reports. Freedom in the World 2026, published by Freedom House, which assesses political rights and civil liberties, classifies Turkey as ‘Not Free, pointing to one of the sharpest declines in freedoms globally over the past two decades under President Erdoğan.
