Today, the office of the HDP party in Izmir, Turkey, was attacked by an assailant, who killed one of the party's female staffers, Deniz Poyraz. The S&D Group condemns the attack and expresses solidarity with her family and the HDP Party.

Nacho Sánchez Amor, S&D MEP and EP standing rapporteur on Turkey, said:

"We condemn in our strongest terms the murder of HDP party worker and member Deniz Poyraz in an attack perpetrated this morning by a gunman on the HDP İzmir provincial office. This heinous act of violence is a blatant attack to the basic principles underlying any democratic system, and it therefore calls for a swift and firm reaction from all relevant authorities and political parties in the country.

"We express our sincere condolences to Deniz Poyraz's family and friends and to the whole HDP party. We stand in solidarity with our sister party in this sad moment, and in front of the unjustifiable political crackdown it has been suffering during the last period, including the possibility of being banned. The continued political harassment and targeting against HDP, which is a breeding ground for this kind of senseless attack, must end now."