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.

Did you dare to criticize Erdogan on social media? You are under arrest!

The government of Tayyip Erdogan escalates repression measures thus increasing the number of the people detained for sharing social media posts which criticize the AKP government. 

As soL international reports, over a thousand of people including TKP members and citizens from other left-wing parties have been detained for sharing social media posts criticizing the government as the AKP tries to criminalize sharing news from soL.

845 Turkish citizens were detained in January and February for sharing social media posts criticising the government or “defaming” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as the number of detentions is gradually increasing every day.

The Sultan and the Fascists: MHP Party to support Tayyip Erdogan in 2019 presidential elections

Devlet Bahceli, leader of MHP, gestures during
an election campaign.

* MHP (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi), the Nationalist Movement Party is an anticommunist, neo-fascist nationalist party, founded in 1969. Its paramilitary wing, known as "Grey Wolves" is a fascist terrorist organization, known for participating in numerous massacres, bombings and assassination attempts. 

The following article is from sOL international: Turkey's fascist Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli overtly supports President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the presidential election in 2019. Not surprisingly, he has lent a help to Erdoğan since the foundation of the AKP party, rallying to rescue the government whenever it has faced political challenges.

Founded in 1969 in the Cold War era as an anti-communist fascist party, Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and its leader Devlet Bahçeli have become a hot topic recently as the party lends an overt support to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Turkey: Communist Party's Kemal Okuyan reflects on the first anniversary of the July 15th failed coup

A year has passed since the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey. TKP's General Secretary Kemal Okuyan answered to soL's questions on July 15, while the July 15th debate continued uninterrupted throughout the year. 

Below are Kemal Okuyan’s answers in the interview with soL news:

Do you agree with the "controlled coup" argument after a year passed from the coup attempt? In recent days, there has been a lot of supporting news and commentary took place in the world media that supported Kılıçdaroğlu's argument. Do you think the term controlled coup captures the reality well?

No. This means that Erdogan dominated all the critical points of state institutions on July 15, 2016, that he took risks by relying on his dominance and ruled the coup attempt personally after a point; the issue is not that simple.

"Hırsız, katil Erdoğan": Turkish protesters sentenced to imprisonment for... defaming President Erdogan!

According to soL international, 10 protestors- including 3 members of the Turkish Communist Party (TKP)- were sentenced to imprisonment on June 9th for having held a press statement to protest the Islamic State's bomb attack on October 10, 2015 outside Ankara central railway station.

More specifically, some protestors, including members of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), made a press statement in October 2015 in Turkey’s western city of Manisa to protest the Islamic State's bomb attack that killed more than 100 people and wounded many hundreds during the mass rally of political parties and trade unions with the title of “Labor, Peace and Democracy”. The attack became the deadliest terror attack in modern Turkish history. 

Kemal Okuyan: "Turkey does not have any other choice. We need socialism as we need air and water" (Interview with TKP's First Secretary)

The interview by soL news portal with Kemal Okuyan, First Secretary of the CC of TKP (Communist Party of Turkey), on the results of the 16 April referendum in Turkey.

Source: International Communist Press, 17 April 2017.

soL: What can you say right away about the results of the referendum?

KO: We cannot talk about an arithmetical result. They did something they are good at, and they have stolen the results. Our logic, our mind and conscience tell us that ‘No’ won in arithmetic terms, too. 

Yet, there are other results. First of all, we see all they could muster despite all their repression, exploitation of public resources, and fraud; the picture speaks for itself. We saw that in reality their followers do not add up to more than 40 percent of the population in Turkey.

TKP: Erdoğan and AKP government are no longer legitimate after devious referendum's results

The CC of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) released a statement declaring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and AKP government as illegitimate after the devious results of Sunday's referendum was revealed.

The statement of TKP is as follows:

Turkey referendum: The aspiring Sultan Erdogan and the militant activity of Turkish communists

EDITORIAL

The referendum which will take place in Turkey on Sunday is certainly a historic and important one. Voters will decide whether to approve constitutional changes that would replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential one. 

When we talk about constitutional changes we actually refer to 18 constitutional reforms which will strengthen the powers of the President thus giving Rejep Tayyip Erdogan a much more advanced status of authority (e.g. declare state of emergency, issue decrees, appoint government ministers, appoint half of the highest judicial body etc). 

"Yetmez ama hayır!": Communists in Turkey headed into the streets, raising the voice of "No"

Report from soL international.

While Turkey prepares for the referendum on April 16, the Governorship of Istanbul banned the rally of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) that was scheduled to be held on April 8 in Istanbul, claiming there was no adequate police force. On the call of the party, thousands of people headed into street across the country on April 8 to show that the government will not be able to silence the voice of the working people.

TKP members and the friends of the party came together in many cities with the party’s weekly journal ‘Boyun Eğme’ (Do Not Surrender). Those who say "Not Enough but No!" distributed tens of thousands of election bulletins of TKP.

"Hands off the Communist Party of Turkey": KKE sends solidarity message to the CC of TKP

On the occasion of the decision by the Turkish authorities to ban the political rally of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on April 8, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) send the following message of solidarity to the CC of TKP:

"Dear comrades,

The KKE decisively condemns the antidemocratic decision of the Turkish authorities to ban the political rally of the TKP on April 8 and expresses its full internationalist solidarity to your Party, to the communists in Turkey.

"Istanbul says No!": Turkish communists defy Erdogan government's ban of rally

According to soL International, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) made a public statement upon the government's ban on the rally that is scheduled to be held on April 2 with the slogan, 'İstanbul says no'. TKP calls the people to come together at a meeting on April 9. 

The Governorship of İstanbul has banned the TKP's rally scheduled for April 2 under the slogan of “İstanbul says ‘no’!”, on March 31, just  2 days before the meeting.

Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) holds pro-‘yes’ campaign meetings across the country in the run-up to the referendum, the Communist Party of Turkey reacted the ban of the rally with a public declaration.

THE PEOPLE STILL CONTINUE TO SAY ‘NO’!

Joint Statement by NCPN and TKP: To the working people of Netherlands and Turkey

Joint Statement by the New Communist Party of the Netherlands (NCPN) and the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP).

To the working people of Netherlands and Turkey.

A crisis is being practiced between the two countries reflecting the rude nature of the bourgeoisie politicians, so severe that we have not observed for many years. Now, they provoke and play with nationalistic emotions among the people and they try to benefit politically out of this tension being escalated.

However, we know that the politicians who are the heroes of this crisis resulting in the crisis reaching scandal dimension have been attacking their own working people and that they have put their signatures under policies extorting the rights of the proletariat. Both parts represent the bourgeoisie class and exploitative monopolies.

Turkey's Communist Party (TKP) unleashes new attack against Tayyip Erdogan

Photo credit: In Defense of Communism.

With a statement the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) bashes the AKP government of Tayip Erdogan. 

How much more will you humiliate this country? Get out of here!

Everyone is aware of the tensions between the AKP and several European countries. 

This international scandal is nothing but vileness done by a fundamentalist gang which considers its own interests, future, and destiny over the country’s destiny. 

Kemal Okuyan on Turkey's referendum: "Everybody should stick to their own guns"

Kemal Okuyan, First Secretary of the CC of Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and soL columnist wrote an article on February 20, 2017, on the stance of the communists in Turkey regarding the upcoming referendum for constitutional amendments. 

Everybody should stick to their own guns…

By Kemal Okuyan / Source: soL.

We are facing a well-known front on the road to the referendum: the front of "yes." I have no idea about the covert aspect of the cooperation between [President] Erdoğan and Bahçeli [the Nationalist Movement Party’s leader who supports Erdoğan’s presidential system]; some mention blackmailing and some others talk about awarding. There is, however, politically and ideologically close links between them and between the social groups they represent. Furthermore, we can say that the "yes" votes are merged within the devotion to the Ottoman past, i.e. anti-Republicanism…

Theses and tasks of TKP: Erdogan, capitalism and imperialist contradictions

THESES and TASKS of the COMMUNIST PARTY of TURKEY.

On the Presidency, the orientation of the capitalism in Turkey and the contradictions with in the imperialist world.

Turkish President Erdogan sues 'Boyun Eğme' communist weekly for...defamation

The "witch hunt" by the bourgeois AKP government of Tayip Erdogan in Turkey continues. This time, a new defamation case is filed against the weekly newspaper of the Communist Party (Komünist Parti) 'Boyun Eğme' for insulting the Turkish President.

Source: soL International.

Boyun Eğme, a weekly newspaper  of the Communist Party, Turkey (KP), was accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan through a published article titled ‘Solcu Liseliler (Leftist Students) set off’.

According to the bill of indictment prepared by the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and accepted by the court, punishment is sought for Mehmet Kuzulugil, the editor-in-chief of the Boyun Eğme due to the accusation.

In the bill of indictment in which the President Erdoğan is named as ‘injured party’, it is propounded that libelous expressions are found in the article titled ‘Solcu Liseliler set off’ of the 47th issue of the Boyun Eğme.

The Turkish government escalates provocative rhetoric over Aegean- Comment by the Communist Party of Greece

Rejep Tayyip Erdogan.

Last Wednesday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu referred to the eastern Aegean Imia islets as “Turkish soil.” Cavusoglu was responding in writing to a question tabled by a Turkish MP regarding the status of islands and islets in the Aegean.

“As long as the AKP is in power there will be no change in the legal and de facto status of islands in the Aegean,” noted Cavusoglu in his statement. 

Cavusoglu’s comments followed comments made by the leader of the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu in which he accused Greece of occupying 18 islands in the Aegean.

The Greek Foreign Ministry described the comments by Cavusoglu as “irresponsible and provocative” and a violation of international law. In response, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Huseyin Muftuoglu reaffirmed Ankara’s stance. 

“Turkey’s position on her sovereignty over Kardak Rocks [the Turkish name for the Imia islets] is well known by the international community since 1996. There is no change in our policy in this regard.” said Muftuoglu.

Erdogan shuts down the Peace Association of Turkey- Solidarity with the Turkish people and Barış Derneği!

Police raid to the Peace Association of Turkey.

As the AKP government urges to take the advantage of the state of emergency that was declared following the coup attempt on 15th July, statutory decrees are being put into action in order to impose anti-democratic decisions to increase the political oppression.

A new statutory decree that has been approved by the parliament requires 370 associations and non-governmental organisations in 40 cities to be unlawfully shut down under the pretext of “relations with terrorist groups that are harmful to the national security”, including leftist organisations such as the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD).

"This is a dissolution in mass": Statement by the Communist Party, Turkey about the jailings of the pro-Kurdish MPs

The Communist Party - Turkey released a statement about the recent jailings of the pro-Kurdish MPs. The statement underscores the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has to keep attacking to sustain its dissolving power.

This is a dissolution in mass.

In today’s statement made by the Prime Ministry and directed to foreign press on the ongoing operation against several MPs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), it was clear the Turkish government was trying to find a pretext for this operation. According to the statement, their being taken into custody like that was a normal procedure since they did not appear in court to give testimony!

KKE: Statement regarding Turkish President Erdogan’s remarks on the Treaty of Lausanne

The Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued the following statement regarding the remarks of the President of Turkey Tayip Erdogan on the Treaty of Lausanne:

"Erdogan’s statements are dangerous and provocative and are part of the systematic efforts of the Turkish leadership to dispute the Aegean islands and the borders and sovereign rights of Greece more generally, to raise the issue of “grey zones”.

The period when these statements were made was no accident, as the negotiations are intensifying around the “closure” of the Cyprus question, on the basis of two component states, while the bargaining over the refugee issue between Turkey and the EU is underway. With these specific statements, Turkey is objectively exerting pressure in order to settle these matters in an even more negative direction for the peoples.

Once again, the government and the other political forces have been exposed, which for many years have been reassuring the Greek people that the alliance between Greece and Turkey, in the framework of NATO, is an agent for the “peace and security in the region”, the moment when NATO not only does not subdue the aggressive designs of Turkey, but on the contrary foments and reinforces them.”