| Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist Türkiye Komünist Partisi/Marksist-Leninist |
|
|---|---|
| Leader | Unknown |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | İbrahim Kaypakkaya) |
| Ideology | Communism, Anti-Revisionism Marxism-Leninism, Maoism |
| Political position | Far-left |
| International affiliation | International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations |
| Official colours | Red |
| Website | |
| www.partizan.org/tkpml.htm | |
| Politics of Turkey Political parties Elections |
|
| Republic of Turkey |
This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
See also
|
|
Other countries · Atlas |
Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (Türkiye Komünist Partisi/Marksist-Leninist in Turkish, abbreviated as TKP/ML) is a clandestine communist organization in Turkey currently waging a war against the Turkish Government. It was founded in 1972 with İbrahim Kaypakkaya as its first leader. The founders of the TKP/ML were the former members of the Revolutionary Workers and Peasants Party of Turkey that desired to carry out armed struggle.
TKP/ML participates in International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations.
Contents |
Following the military memorandum of 1971 the Turkish government cracked down the communist movement in Turkey. Kaypakkaya and several of his colleagues were arrested. The party machinery was destroyed. It was Kaypakkaya died in prison in 1973 allegedly because of torture.
Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist re-organized between 1973 and 1978. The first party congress took place in 1978 (TKP/ML I. Kongresi in Turkish). In 1981 the second congress was organized (TKP/ML II. Kongresi). The party split following the second congress, the splinter taking up the name Bolshevik Party (North Kurdistan-Turkey).
However it was nor the first neither the last split in the party. The Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist - Hareketi had already split in (1976) during the re-organisation period. Other splits followed the second congress: Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist - Revolutionary Proletarian (1987), Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (Maoist Party Centre) (1987) and Maoist Communist Party (1994).
The armed wing of the party is named Workers' and Peasants' Liberation Army in Turkey (Türkiye İşci ve Köylü Kurtuluş Ordusu in Turkish, abbreviated as TİKKO).
The main periodical of the party is called Partizan (Partisan). There are two other periodicals they have published: İşçi-Köylü (Worker-Peasant) and Özgür Gelecek (Free Future).[1]
The organisation is listed among the 12 active terrorist organisation in Turkey as of 2007 according to the Counter-Terrorism and Operations Department of the Directorate General for Security of the Turkish police.[2]
A study carried out by the Counter-Terrorism and Operations Department of Directorate General for Security over a sample of files on people convicted of being a terrorist under Turkish law, including 826 militants from the organisation and the three other currently active left-wing organisations (see reference 1), 65% of the members were aged 14 to 25, 16.8% 25 to 30, while 17.5% were older than 30. University graduates made up 20.4% of the members, high-school graduates 33.5%, secondary-school graduates 14%, primary-school graduates 29.9% and illiterates 1.9% (the sample contained no non-graduate but literate members).[3]