Mihri Belli
Encyclopedia
Mihri Belli was a prominent leader of the socialist movement
in Turkey. He was legendary for having fought on the partisan side in the Greek Civil War
.
Belli was repeatedly prosecuted and sentenced to prison for his political views, and was altogether imprisoned for 11 years, and forced into exile for another 18.
Belli wrote several influential books on the Turkish left and was, for many years, a source of inspiration for leftist Turkish youths.
, then in the Ottoman Empire
, to Mahmut Hayrettin Bey, later a prominent leader of the Turkish War of Independence
in Urfa.
He was educated at Robert College
in Istanbul, and in 1936 went on to study economics at the University of Mississippi
in the United States of America. There he was introduced to Marxist thought and revolutionary action. He took part in the activities of the civil rights movement in Mississippi
.
Turkey was at the time under a one-party regime. The government, under the influence of the German advances in the initial years of the World War II
, had abandoned its policy of friendship with the USSR. The only opposition party in Turkey in these days was the underground TKP. Belli, after returning to Turkey, contacted the illegal party via his elementary-school friend David Nea, who was the party secretary for Istanbul
at the time. Belli became a member of the central committee
of the TKP in 1942.
He served as assistant professor with professor Fritz Neumark at the Faculty of Economics of Istanbul University
in the years 1943–1944. There he was among the founders and organizers of the İlerici Gençler Birliği (Progressive Youth Union). In 1944 he was arrested for these activities and sentenced to two years imprisonment and exile.
as a guerrilla fighter. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Democratic Army of Greece
. He was wounded twice in battle, and was treated in Bulgaria
and the USSR.
In 1950 he was imprisoned in Turkey for a short while for entry without a passport and illegal possession of a handgun. Shortly after his release, he was imprisoned again in 1951 in a wave of TKP arrests. This time he was sentenced to 7 years in prison and two years and four months of forced relocation.
A documentary about his time in Greece
, entitled "Καπετάν Κεμάλ, ο σύντροφος" ("Captain Kemal, A Comrade"; Turkish title "Kaptan Kemal, Bir Yoldaş") was made by the prominent Greek
filmmaker Fotos Lamprinos.
(TİP). At this time, he developed his well-known thesis known as Milli Demokratik Devrim (National Democratic Revolution), abbreviated MDD. With his friends, he contacted Deniz Gezmiş
and Mahir Çayan, who were at the time leaders of the youth movement amassing popular support. The ideas of MDD quickly gained prominence among the leftist youth movement; it became the main theoretical framework for most of the leftist groups that flourished in Turkey in that period and played a key role in the '68 movement
in Turkey, giving it a Marxist and revolutionary characteristic.
Mihri Belli left Turkey after the 1971 military coup to avoid arrest, and was for a while a guest of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He returned to Turkey briefly, en route to Western Europe. There he stayed for a while and helped with the magazine Yurtsever (Patriot). He was back in Turkey when the centre-left Republican People's Party
(CHP) under Ecevit
emerged as the largest party in the 1973 elections
.
After the amnesty of 1974, he founded the Labour Party of Turkey
(TEP) in 1975. Immediately after the founding of the party, the prosecutor's office of the Martial Law
Court took notice and demanded the removal of the word Kurd
from the party program and other documents. The Constitutional Court banned the TEP for demanding equal rights for Kurds.
In 1979, Belli faced an assassination attempt in which he was severely injured. After the 1980 military coup, he left for the Middle East
. From there he moved to Sweden
, where he followed the Kurdish movement closely until he returned to Turkey in 1992. In 1997 he met with Abdullah Öcalan
, where they came to the common conclusion that a solution to the Kurdish issue
under the umbrella of a unitarian state, instead of a federative
solution, was possible on the basis of equality and voluntary union. The report of this meeting was later published in book form.
In 1996 Belli participated in the founding of the Freedom and Solidarity Party
(ÖDP), and that of the Socialist Democracy Party
(SDP) in 2002. He was a candidate for member of parliament for Istanbul in the 2002 elections
.
In 2005, the portraits Belli had made 50 years earlier, while in prison, were presented in an exhibition "Lines From Prison". He was imprisoned for 11 years, and forced into exile for 18. Together with several other founding members he resigned from the SDP in 2007 and took part in the 2008 founding of the Workers' Socialist Party (İşçilerin Sosyalist Partisi), better known by the shortened name Socialist Party (Sosyalist Parti), along with others who left.
from respiratory distress, on 16 August 2011. He is buried in Feriköy, Şişli
, Istanbul.
Socialist Movement
The Socialist Movement was an independent left-wing grouping in the United Kingdom that grew out the Socialist Conferences.The Socialist Conferences were held in Chesterfield, Sheffield and Manchester in the years following the defeat of Britain’s miners’ strike of 1984–1985...
in Turkey. He was legendary for having fought on the partisan side in the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
.
Belli was repeatedly prosecuted and sentenced to prison for his political views, and was altogether imprisoned for 11 years, and forced into exile for another 18.
Belli wrote several influential books on the Turkish left and was, for many years, a source of inspiration for leftist Turkish youths.
Early life
Belli was born in 1916 in SilivriSilivri
Silivri is a city and a district in Istanbul Province along the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, outside of metropolitan Istanbul, containing many holiday and weekend homes for residents of the city. The largest city in the district is also named Silivri...
, then in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, to Mahmut Hayrettin Bey, later a prominent leader of the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
in Urfa.
He was educated at Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul, and in 1936 went on to study economics at the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
in the United States of America. There he was introduced to Marxist thought and revolutionary action. He took part in the activities of the civil rights movement in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Return to Turkey
Belli returned to Turkey in 1940, where he joined the illegal Communist Party of Turkey (TKP).Turkey was at the time under a one-party regime. The government, under the influence of the German advances in the initial years of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, had abandoned its policy of friendship with the USSR. The only opposition party in Turkey in these days was the underground TKP. Belli, after returning to Turkey, contacted the illegal party via his elementary-school friend David Nea, who was the party secretary for Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
at the time. Belli became a member of the central committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the TKP in 1942.
He served as assistant professor with professor Fritz Neumark at the Faculty of Economics of Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
in the years 1943–1944. There he was among the founders and organizers of the İlerici Gençler Birliği (Progressive Youth Union). In 1944 he was arrested for these activities and sentenced to two years imprisonment and exile.
Greek Civil War
Belli left Turkey in 1946, and joined the Greek Civil WarGreek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
as a guerrilla fighter. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Democratic Army of Greece
Democratic Army of Greece
This article is based on a translation of an article from the Greek Wikipedia.The Democratic Army of Greece , often simply abbreviated to its initials DSE , was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949...
. He was wounded twice in battle, and was treated in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and the USSR.
In 1950 he was imprisoned in Turkey for a short while for entry without a passport and illegal possession of a handgun. Shortly after his release, he was imprisoned again in 1951 in a wave of TKP arrests. This time he was sentenced to 7 years in prison and two years and four months of forced relocation.
A documentary about his time in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, entitled "Καπετάν Κεμάλ, ο σύντροφος" ("Captain Kemal, A Comrade"; Turkish title "Kaptan Kemal, Bir Yoldaş") was made by the prominent Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
filmmaker Fotos Lamprinos.
Turkish revolutionary movement
During the 1960s, Belli could write and speak without having to use an alias. Nevertheless, also in that period he served prison time for various articles and speeches. He was part of the group who published the revolutionary magazines Türk Solu and Aydınlık Sosyalist Dergi. Expelled from the TKP, he joined the newly formed Workers Party of TurkeyWorkers Party of Turkey
Workers Party of Turkey was a Turkish political party, founded in 1961. It became the first socialist party in Turkey to win representation in the national parliament. It was banned twice and eventually merged with the Communist Party of Turkey in 1988.TİP was founded by a group of labor union...
(TİP). At this time, he developed his well-known thesis known as Milli Demokratik Devrim (National Democratic Revolution), abbreviated MDD. With his friends, he contacted Deniz Gezmiş
Deniz Gezmis
Deniz Gezmiş was a Turkish Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and political activist in the Turkey in the late 1960s...
and Mahir Çayan, who were at the time leaders of the youth movement amassing popular support. The ideas of MDD quickly gained prominence among the leftist youth movement; it became the main theoretical framework for most of the leftist groups that flourished in Turkey in that period and played a key role in the '68 movement
Protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 consisted of a worldwide series of protests, largely participated in by students and workers.-Background:Background speculations of overall causality vary about the political protests centering on the year 1968. Some argue that protests could be attributed to the social changes...
in Turkey, giving it a Marxist and revolutionary characteristic.
Mihri Belli left Turkey after the 1971 military coup to avoid arrest, and was for a while a guest of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He returned to Turkey briefly, en route to Western Europe. There he stayed for a while and helped with the magazine Yurtsever (Patriot). He was back in Turkey when the centre-left Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
(CHP) under Ecevit
Bülent Ecevit
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist, who was the leader of Republican People's Party , later of the Democratic Left Party and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey.- Personal life :...
emerged as the largest party in the 1973 elections
Turkish general election, 1973
General elections were held in Turkey on 14 October 1973. The result was a victory for the Republican People's Party , who won 185 of the 450 seats. Voter turnout was 66.8%....
.
After the amnesty of 1974, he founded the Labour Party of Turkey
Labour Party of Turkey
Labour Party of Turkey was a political party in Turkey. TEP was founded in 1975. The programme of TEP was 'National Democratic Revolution'. It published Emekçi.TEP was dissolved in the mid-1980s....
(TEP) in 1975. Immediately after the founding of the party, the prosecutor's office of the Martial Law
Martial law and state of emergency in Turkey
Since 1940 Turkey has frequently been under extraordinary rule, either the whole of the country or specific provinces. According to Articles 119-122 of the 1982 Constitution the four types of extraordinary rule are martial law , state of emergency , mobilization and situation of war .-History:On...
Court took notice and demanded the removal of the word Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
from the party program and other documents. The Constitutional Court banned the TEP for demanding equal rights for Kurds.
In 1979, Belli faced an assassination attempt in which he was severely injured. After the 1980 military coup, he left for the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. From there he moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where he followed the Kurdish movement closely until he returned to Turkey in 1992. In 1997 he met with Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
, where they came to the common conclusion that a solution to the Kurdish issue
Kurds in Turkey
Ethnic Kurds compose a significant portion of the population in Turkey . Unlike the Turks, the Kurds speak an Indo-European language...
under the umbrella of a unitarian state, instead of a federative
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
solution, was possible on the basis of equality and voluntary union. The report of this meeting was later published in book form.
In 1996 Belli participated in the founding of the Freedom and Solidarity Party
Freedom and Solidarity Party
Freedom and Solidarity Party is a left-wing party in Turkey. The party has had limited electoral success, although it controls a number of town halls and is influential in some unions of public employees...
(ÖDP), and that of the Socialist Democracy Party
Socialist Democracy Party
Socialist Democracy Party is a left-socialist party in Turkey. Most of its members were formerly in an opposition grouping within ÖDP, named Sosyalist Eylem Platformu . They defended closer ties with pro-Kurdish DEHAP and radical left and campaigned against privatisation and European Union...
(SDP) in 2002. He was a candidate for member of parliament for Istanbul in the 2002 elections
Turkish general election, 2002
Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. It was won by the Justice and Development Party , led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote...
.
In 2005, the portraits Belli had made 50 years earlier, while in prison, were presented in an exhibition "Lines From Prison". He was imprisoned for 11 years, and forced into exile for 18. Together with several other founding members he resigned from the SDP in 2007 and took part in the 2008 founding of the Workers' Socialist Party (İşçilerin Sosyalist Partisi), better known by the shortened name Socialist Party (Sosyalist Parti), along with others who left.
Death
Mihri Belli passed away in his home in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
from respiratory distress, on 16 August 2011. He is buried in Feriköy, Şişli
Sisli
Şişli is one of 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south...
, Istanbul.