Political party in Turkey
The Maoist Communist Party of Turkey (Turkish: Maoist Komünist Partisi abbreviated as MKP) is a Marxist–Leninist–Maoist insurgent organization in Turkey. It is the most significant of the Maoist organisations in Turkey; it upholds the legacy of İbrahim Kaypakkaya. It maintains two armed wings: the People's Partisan Forces (Turkish: Partizan Halk Güçleri or PHG) and People's Liberation Army (Turkish: Halk Kurtuluş Ordusu or HKO).[2]
MKP was a part of Revolutionary Internationalist Movement and participated in the Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties of the Balkans.[3]
History
MKP emerged in 1987 as TKP/ML - Eastern Anatolia Regional Committee (Doğu Anadolu Bölge Komitesi in Turkish, abbreviated as DABK) and broke away from the declining TKP/ML organisation. In 1993 it reunified with TKP/ML, but this proved unsuccessful; it broke away again in 1994 to become the Communist Party of Turkey (Marxist–Leninist) [abbreviated as TKP(ML) - not to be confused with TKP/ML]. After an increasing ideological divide between the TKP/ML and the Revolutionary Internationalist Movement, the Committee of RIM (CoRIM) eventually ejected the ideologically stagnant TKP/ML. In 2003 TKP (ML) morphed into the Maoist Communist Party (MKP). MKP became a member of RIM and over the years gained influence becoming the most significant Maoist organisation in Turkey. MKP is determined to carry out a "People's War"[This quote needs a citation] in Turkey with its armed wing the People's Liberation Army. In 2013 the Party's 3rd congress established the People's Partisan Forces as a second armed wing.
Organisation
The party has two armed wings: in rural areas Peoples' Liberation Army (Halk Kurtuluş Ordusu in Turkish, abbreviated as HKO) and in cities People's Partisan Forces (Partizan Halk Güçleri in Turkish, abbreviated as PHG).[4]
Maoist Youth Union (Turkish: Maoist Gençlik Birliği) is the youth organization of MKP.
Maoist Women's Union (Turkish: Maoist Kadınlar Birliği) - is women's organization of MKP.
The party has two periodicals titled Devrimci Demokrasi (Revolutionary Democracy) and Sınıf Teorisi (Theory of the Class).[5]
Federation of Democratic Rights (Turkish: Demokratik Haklar Federasyonu abbreviated as DHF) - is independent mass organization related to MKP.
Recent activity
In March 2009, Tamer Bilici, a doctor in service during a 2000 hunger strike in Kandıra F-type prison, was punished[clarification needed] by MKP-HKO for being a public enemy because he was blamed for deaths and permanent disabilities of inmates.[6] In September 2009 MKP-HKO claimed responsibility for the death of a retired colonel, Aytekin İçmez. In June 2015, MKP-PHG killed former colonel Fehmi Altinbilek.[7]
Designation as a terrorist organisation
The organisation is listed among the 12 active terrorist organisations in Turkey as of 2007 according to Counter-Terrorism and Operations Department of Directorate General for Security (Turkish police).[8]
Human resources
A study carried out by the Counter-Terrorism and Operations Department of Directorate General for Security over a sample of files about people convicted of being terrorists under Turkish laws including 826 militants from the organisation and the three other currently active left-wing organisations (see reference 1) 65% of the members are aged 14 to 25, 16,8% 25 to 30 and 17,5% are older than 30. University graduates make up 20,4% of the members, high school graduates 33,5%, secondary school graduates 14%, primary school graduates 29.9% and illiterates 1,9% (while they have no sampled literate non-graduate members).[9]
