Kemal Okuyan: Boycott, Republic and Revolutionary Stance

Article by Kemal Okuyan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), which was published on April 8, 2025, on soL News Portal (Boykot, Cumhuriyet ve devrimci iddia):

It is impossible for the discussions on “”Who’s part of the boycott, why are they included, and who’s in and who’s out of its scope?” not to shift towards “where does the capital start, where it ends”. 

URGENT statement of the European Communist Action in solidarity with TKP

The European Communist Action condemns the brutal repression and mass arrests of demonstrators, journalists, etc., including members and cadres of the Communist Party of Turkey, who oppose the unacceptable actions of the Turkish state in relation to arresting and removing from office the elected mayors in Istanbul, which means violation of right to vote and to be elected. These choices are in service to the political interests of the ruling AKP government and highlight its blatant disregard for any and all democratic processes.

KKE denounces Imamoglu's arrest, expresses solidarity with the Communist Party and the people of Turkey

In a statement (here in Greek) concerning the ongoing developments in Turkey, the detention and imprisonment of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the mass protests, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses the following:

"The KKE denounces the decision of the Turkish state and AKP government to arrest the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, and to remove him from his office, the suppression of the demonstrations and the mass arrests of demonstrators, including members of the Communist Party (TKP) and the Communist Youth of Turkey, as well as journalists.

Turkish communists respond to Erdogan's attempt to delegitimize mass protests: People Will Break the Game

The political developments that began on March 19 with the detention orders issued for more than 100 people, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and journalist İsmail Saymaz, continue to unfold.

On the first day of these events, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) declared, “We Call on Our People to Organize Against AKP Tyranny.” And today, the Party has called for protests in several cities, especially in the three major metropolitan cities, with the following appeal:

 

Communist Party of Turkey condemns the detention of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. It was a dramatic escalation in an ongoing crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey. 

The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and some 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu’s close aide, Murat Ongun.

Communist Party of Turkey leader Kemal Okuyan on the solution process regarding the Kurdish Issue

Interview with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), Kemal Okuyan, published in the March issue of TKP's monthly newspaper, Boyun Eğme:

Nowadays, everyone asks everyone else: "Do you support or oppose the new Solution Process?". So, let's start from here: How does TKP view this new process? 

Jihadism, capitalism and neo-Ottomanism

Interview of Kemal Okuyan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey-TKP given to journalist Marinella Correggia and published on Italian News Portal Il Manifesto with the title of "Jihadism, capitalism and neo-Ottomanism: There is nothing good for the Syrian people" on January 3:

– About this sudden change in Syria. Turkish Foreign Minister, said he had convinced Russia and Iran in Doha not to intervene on the side of the Syrian government, otherwise it would have been a bloodbath. It means that militarily the Russian and Iranian forces would have to face huge weaponry and mercenaries supplied by forces outside the country. Which ones?

 

Communist Party of Turkey: "In Syria, Israel and the USA have won a temporary victory using the jihadists"

On the occasion of the fall of Damascus in the hands of the armed jihadists and the alleged overthrow of the Assad government, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued the following statement:

"The plan put into effect by the US imperialism and the reactionary forces in the region about 15 years ago in order for the disintegration of Syria has succeeded as of yesterday. The jihadist forces mobilised by the USA, Israel, Britain and the AKP government overthrew the Syrian government in a short period of one week.

NATO has been threatening humanity for 75 years — Statement by the Communist Party of Turkey

Statement by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on the 75th anniversary of establishment of NATO:

Today, the 4th April 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of NATO’s establishment. No matter how much the governments, parliaments and corporate media of NATO member countries try to paint a glorious past for this organization, its foundation is nothing to be celebrated: NATO is one of the worst things that ever happened to humanity. 

Turkey's Communist Party emerges strengthened in municipal elections, doubles its votes

Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu and Hizam Hasirci

Against all odds and despite political polarisation between the governing AKP and the Kemalist Republican People's Party-CHP, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) emerged significantly strengthened from the municipal elections of March 31. 

Particularly significant is the performance of TKP in the earthquake-ridden Defne municipality, in Hatay, where its candidate, Hizam Hasirci, received 39.62% thus coming in the second place. Additionally, the communist candidate in the Istanbul district of Kadıköy, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu (formerly mayor of Dersim) was placed third, with 10.01% of the votes. 

Communist Party of Turkey on anniversary of deadly earthquake: "We will not forget, we will not forgive"

In a statement on the first anniversary of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit South Eastern Turkey and Syria in February 2023, leading to at least 54,000 deaths, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) stresses out:

"We remember the great disaster like it was yesterday.

How can we forget the thousands of people who died under the rubble while the state was completely absent, who were displaced from their homes and left to despair, how can we forget our neighborhoods, our districts, our labor, our history. 

Communist Party of Turkey condemns Grand National Assembly's approval of Sweden NATO bid

In a statement, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) stresses out:

"The Grand National Assembly of Turkey has made another shameful decision. The issue of Sweden's membership to NATO was discussed in the General Assembly of the Parliament today and approved with a majority of votes. As it is known, after the start of the war in Ukraine, NATO's attempt to gain new members in Northern Europe gained great momentum and the membership of Sweden and Finland was immediately on the agenda. As a result of an extremely fast process, Finland became a member of NATO and the Turkish Parliament was one of the parliaments that signed this historic decision in March 2023. 

Statement of the Communist Party of Türkiye on the result of the May 14 elections

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on the outcome of the May 14 Election:

Defeating the AKP by becoming like the AKP was a great illusion and deceiving the people. The so-called Nation Alliance is the subject of this illusion and the effort to deceive the people.

AKP, on the other hand, has been deceiving the country for more than 20 years. 

Communist Party of Turkey declares its electoral position: "1 Vote Against Erdoğan, 1 Vote For TKP"

The Communist Party of Turkey has declared that all revolutionary, socialist and communist forces representing Turkey’s anti-imperialist, secular accumulation, who have a clear stand against domestic and foreign capital should enter the 14th of May parliamentary elections under a common electoral alliance. 

 

Our party has intensified its work in this regard and made various contacts.

Turkish Communist Party launches electoral campaign: "TKP comes, everything changes!"

In a press release titled "TKP COMES, EVERYTHING CHANGES", the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) launches its campaign for the 2023 parliamentary elections:

"In 1923, we broke the chains of dependence, we annulled the sultanate and the caliphate.

We overthrew the old and founded the new.

Turkish communists condemn Erdogan's attack in Syria and north Iraq

In a statement concerning the air strikes of the Turkish Armed Forces on Kurdish settlements in Syria and Iraq, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) stresses out:

"Following the bombing attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street last week, the Turkish Armed Forces has been conducting air strikes on Kurdish settlements in Syria and Iraq since last night. Alleging that this operation is carried out on the pretext of “defense”, the AKP government is once again concealing the truth.

Erdogan Vs Women: Turkish communists on the front line of the struggle for women's rights

In the early hours of March 20, Turkey's government issued a decree deciding to pull out of the Istanbul Convention to combat the violence against women. Although the AKP government was giving signs of this decision earlier and peaked the debate in August 2020, by lobbying against the Convention, the decree came as a sudden decision after midnight and sparked tension.

Hundreds of women took to the streets on Saturday afternoon, declaring the decision as an attack of the AKP government against the health and lives of the women in Turkey. Several protests were organized in different cities of the country. While Erdogan's cabinet and pro-AKP circles celebrated the decision, the progressive organizations and opposition groups condemned the decision.

KKE denounces the persecution of HDP deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu in Turkey

In a statement issued today the Press Bureau of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) denounces the political prosecution against the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party's MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu by the Turkish government.

More specifically the statement, which was published on 902 portal, points out:

Communist Party of Turkey: The Coronavirus pandemic is yet another evidence of the historical collapse of capitalism

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) has released a political report focusing on COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Turkey's working class, examining the policies of Tayyip Erdogan's government.

"The coronavirus pandemic, which has affected the whole world since the first months of last year, not only showed once again how devastating capitalism is as a social system but also showed the extent of its desperation. From this point of view, the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus cannot be seen as a health problem alone,” the report said. 

Solidarity with the students in Istanbul's Bogazici University — Statement by the Communist Youth of Turkey

Once again, the reactionary regime of Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey has shown its repressive and authoritarian face. This time, the target of police violence are the students of Boğaziçi University who protest against the appointment of Melih Bulu, known for his close ties to the ruling party AKP, as the new rector of the institution. 

Melih Bulu has held various managerial positions within the AKP since 2002. He was a mayoral candidate in 2009 as well as a candidate for parliamentary deputy position from the AKP in the 2015 elections.