People's Liberation Army of Turkey
Encyclopedia
People's Liberation Army of Turkey was an armed underground far-left movement in Turkey
. It was founded at the Middle East Technical University
in Ankara
, Turkey in 1970 by Hüseyin İnan, Yusuf Aslan, Sinan Cemgil, Deniz Gezmiş
, Taylan Özgur and Cihan Alptekin.
. The kidnapping was perpetrated in cooperation with another organization: the People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey or THKP-C. The kidnappers tried to hide in the village of Kizildere, but were discovered by the authorities who surrounded their hideout. In the following shootout the hostages and all ten of the kidnappers were killed. One was caught alive.
On October 22, 1972, four students belonging to the THKO hijacked a Turkish airliner with 69 passengers on board after takeoff from Ankara. The aircraft was forced to change its course and eventually landed in Sofia
, Bulgaria
. During the hijacking one passenger and a pilot were injured and they were allowed to leave the plane together with tho women who were released with their children. The four hijackers demanded the release of all political prisoners in Turkey, but after just one day they surrendered to the Bulgarian authorities.
; Cihan Alptekin and Omer Ayna at Kizildere; and after the execution of Deniz Gezmiş
, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan on May 6, 1972. However, the organization remained active during the 1970s.
Individuals benefiting from the political amnesty in 1974 and THKO cadres that were already outside of jail constituted a Temporary Central Committee. After the formation of the TCC internal differences arose. One group developed policies advocated by Communist Party of China
-Party of Labour of Albania (later only PLA) and founded the Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey
(TDKP); another group adhering to the tendency of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
eventually founded the Communist Labour Party of Turkey
(TKEP). A third sector refounded itself as the People's Liberation Army of Turkey-Revolutionary Path of Turkey
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was founded at the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey in 1970 by Hüseyin İnan, Yusuf Aslan, Sinan Cemgil, Deniz Gezmiş
Deniz Gezmis
Deniz Gezmiş was a Turkish Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and political activist in the Turkey in the late 1960s...
, Taylan Özgur and Cihan Alptekin.
Goals
THKO was of the opinion that it had become impossible to carry on the struggle for independence and democracy within the legal framework and depending on peaceful methods of struggle in Turkey. The organization struggled for what they called a "National Democratic Revolution". One of the main goals was to rid Turkey of all things American. The main thesis of THKO were:- RevolutionRevolutionA revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
with the goal of a completely independent and truly democratic Turkey would be realised through a struggle based in rural areas and force policy under the command of national front understanding - People's war should be carried out on the basis of the alliance of the proletariatProletariatThe proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
, peasantry and petty bourgeoisie - The party of the working classCommunist partyA political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
and People's ArmyPeople's ArmyPeople's Army was a title of several communist armed forces:* Czechoslovak People's Army* People's Army of Poland* Vietnam People's Army* National People's Army, of East Germany* Yugoslav People's Army* Korean People's Army...
should be counted as the two basic organisations of people's war - These two organisations would be built during the war period based on the participation of the masses
- That THKO was a unique organisation, performing the functions of both of these two organisations simultaneously.
Activities
The organization's activities started in January 1971. THKO carried out several high-profile attacks. For instance, on March 27, 1972, the THKO abducted three NATO engineers (two British, one Canadian), working at a radar base in ÜnyeÜnye
Ünye is a large town and district of Ordu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 76 km west of the city of Ordu. In 2009 it had 74,806 inhabitants.-Geography:Ünye has a little port, in a bay on one of the flatter areas of the Black Sea coast...
. The kidnapping was perpetrated in cooperation with another organization: the People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey or THKP-C. The kidnappers tried to hide in the village of Kizildere, but were discovered by the authorities who surrounded their hideout. In the following shootout the hostages and all ten of the kidnappers were killed. One was caught alive.
On October 22, 1972, four students belonging to the THKO hijacked a Turkish airliner with 69 passengers on board after takeoff from Ankara. The aircraft was forced to change its course and eventually landed in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, 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...
. During the hijacking one passenger and a pilot were injured and they were allowed to leave the plane together with tho women who were released with their children. The four hijackers demanded the release of all political prisoners in Turkey, but after just one day they surrendered to the Bulgarian authorities.
Division
THKO was crippled after the killing of Sinan Cemgil, Kadir Manga, Alpaslan Özdoğan at NurhakNurhak
Nurhak is a town and district of Kahramanmaraş Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, the district area's population was 17,260, and the district center had a population of 8,118....
; Cihan Alptekin and Omer Ayna at Kizildere; and after the execution of Deniz Gezmiş
Deniz Gezmis
Deniz Gezmiş was a Turkish Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and political activist in the Turkey in the late 1960s...
, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan on May 6, 1972. However, the organization remained active during the 1970s.
Individuals benefiting from the political amnesty in 1974 and THKO cadres that were already outside of jail constituted a Temporary Central Committee. After the formation of the TCC internal differences arose. One group developed policies advocated by Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
-Party of Labour of Albania (later only PLA) and founded the Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey
Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey
Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey is a clandestine communist party in Turkey. TDKP considers itself to be the continuation of the People's Liberation Army of Turkey . The THKO Conference gathered in October 1978...
(TDKP); another group adhering to the tendency of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
eventually founded the Communist Labour Party of Turkey
Communist Labour Party of Turkey
Communist Labour Party of Turkey is an illegal communist party in Turkey. TKEP was founded on May 1, 1980 by the People's Liberation Army of Turkey-Unity in Struggle . THKO-MB was the pro-Soviet faction that developed out of the crumbles of the original THKO.The general secretary of TKEP was...
(TKEP). A third sector refounded itself as the People's Liberation Army of Turkey-Revolutionary Path of Turkey
People's Liberation Army of Turkey-Revolutionary Path of Turkey
People's Liberation Army of Turkey-Revolutionary Path of Turkey was a splinter-group of the People's Liberation Army of Turkey . THKO-TDY appeared in 1975...
.