Kemal Okuyan (First Secretary of the CC of Communist Party, Turkey)
AKP continuously speaks of a second coup attempt. Do you think that they aim to reinforce their power and to abuse the coup or is there really a possibility of a second one?
KO: AKP has been confronted with a group which it had associated with for years. Nobody knows where this group starts or ends. Besides there are some other factions which joined them. When you add up the international dimensions it becomes a conjuncture which is prone to new coup attempts and interventions. On the other hand AKP seems to benefit from this tension. The people lose themselves amongst the factions. That’s why KP insists on emphasizing the class dimensions, points out the inner contradictions of the imperialist system. Those balances will shape the developments of the upcoming period. We can assume that the capitalist class will incras the interventions. Turkey will not conform to Erdoğan’s mind; Erdoğan will conform to the balances we’ve mentioned, or he’will be liquidated. Obviously this is a chaotic process, it will be tough. The important point is that the working class should show its weight.
How will KP act in those circumstances, how will be its political lines?
KO: KP has to accomplish multiple tasks as a whole. Firstly we have to convey the reality to the people, in order to prevent them to withdraw themselves in such a chaotic environment. Secondly, the contradiction of the classes should be kept visible while struggling with the islamist-fascist threat in Turkey. Neither of them is the leading actor; There is no way to stop islamism without struggling against the hegemony of the capital, which is already our essential task. The bourgeois way of laisizm has brought us to the point of a bloody fight between two imams. Our party is totally aware of the danger, it had always been, yet the biggest danger is pessimism which we shall not allow. We won’t let this happen. Apparently the international solidarity carries great importance in times like these. We have been receiving many solidarity and support messages -which, some of them started concrete and new collaborations- from communist parties of the world. Turkey possesses strategic importance for many regions. We will not let this country to be the toy of the competitive forces within the imperialists, the international monopolies. In Turkey the working class exists, this is a progressive asset. It is our Party’s responsibility to reveal this.
Özlem Şen Abay (Member of the CC of Communist Party, Turkey)
What does exactly that “State of emergency”issued by the Government mean? Why did they need it?
ÖŞA: It seems that Erdoğan has pushed the button of a comprehensive operation just after the coup attempt on July 15. It has been stated that the total number of people in custody is 10 thousand 410, so far. There are civil servants from the police forces, jurisdiction, universities and some other state institutions amongst those, not only the military members. Erdoğan has already asked for the resignation of all the Deans of all the universities, called off the annual leaves of the public employees and terminated the contracts of many civil servants. The State of Emergency is based on the Constitution and states as: “In the event of serious indications of widespread acts of violence aimed at the destruction of the free democratic order established by the Constitution or of fundamental rights and freedoms, or serious deterioration of public order because of acts of violence, the Council of Ministers, meeting under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic, after consultation with the National Security Council, may declare a state of emergency in one or more regions or throughout the country for a period not exceeding six months.” According to the Constitution when state of emergency is declared the President is assigned as the Chair and assigns the province governors with extraordinary authorities which allow them to intervene when required. Among those authorities there are measures like: declaring curfew; putting ban on meetings and rallies; intervening to the media and extending the custody periods. The “State of Emergency” becomes the name of the only solution Erdoğan and his Government could find out after they were left with no one to trust to. Yet we reckon that this would lead him to a bigger deadlock.
To what extent this would restrain the activities of KP?
ÖŞA: There are no restrictive clauses openly stated within the declaration of a State of Emergency regarding the activities of the political parties. Yet, during the state of emergency the Council of Ministers has the authority to decide Decree Laws which are not under control of jurisdiction. So, this is the actual situation where the ones who have the extraordinary authority could decide by their own intentions. Time will show how the activities of our party will be affected, in a period when Erdoğan's political actions get more oppressive and he continues with the one-man-domination kind of governance.
The latest figures from Turkey in the aftermath of the coup attempt and the state of emergency followed:
- About 350 were killed.
- 2,200 were wounded.
- 8,000 police officers were detained or suspended.
- 7,423 soldiers were detained.
- 1,600 high-rank military officials were arrested.
- 122 generals and admirals were arrested (out of 358 in total in Turkish army).
- 60,000 staff in various governmental institutions were dismissed.
- 2,745 judges were dismissed.
- 1,577 deans were demanded resignation by Council of Higher Education.
- 21,000 teachers had licences removed.
- 15,000 were suspended from Ministry of Education.
- 936 private schools were closed.
- 449 student halls or dormitories were closed.
- 284 private education institutions were closed.
- 62 military high school students were arrested.
- 257 were fired from the Prime Minister’s Office.
- 100 intelligence officials were sacked.
- 47 district governors were dismissed.
- 30 provincial governors were dismissed.
- 20 news websites were blocked.
- 4 were arrested due to their anti-Erdoğan statements in social media.
- 14 were arrested because they opposed to pro-AKP demonstrations.
- Academics and students on state scholarships were banned to leave the country and the ones who are already abroad were called back.
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