Devrimci Yol


Devrimci Yol was a Turkish political movement with many supporters in trade unions and other professional institutions. Its ideology was based on Marxism-Leninism but rejected both the Soviet and the Chinese model in favor of a more native Turkish model, although it was influenced by the latter. Devrimci Yol entered the political scene in Turkey on 1 May 1977 with its manifesto called bildirge. Its roots can be seen in a movement that called itself Devrimci Gençlik, and it followed the thesis of Mahir Çayan.

Self-portrayal

The defence in the central trial against members of Devrimci Yol at Ankara Military Court included the following lines:
The brochure published in Hamburg in November 1980 carried the emblem of the organization and therefore the views expressed there reflect the attitude of the organization:

External sources

In a report on the central trial against Devrimci Yol in Ankara Amnesty International wrote in June 1988:
In April 1997, the Swiss Refugee Support Organization published a report simply called "Türkei – Turquie". The report included detailed information on many legal and illegal Turkish and Kurdish organization. On Devrimci Yol, it stated inter alia:

The question of violence

"The journal and supporters of Dev-Yol were not opposed to violence but tried to put into practice a defence policy centred around the idea of 'committees of resistance', which were to counter attacks against the population by right-wing militants known as the Grey Wolves." The first resistance committees were formed because Devrimci Yol believed that there was a civil war in Turkey. Arms were to be used in defence. One of the main goals of the committees was the establishment of cooperatives of production. In Fatsa, for instance, a hazelnut cooperative was founded.

Resistance committees in practice

The resistance committees were put to the test during the incidents in Çorum in July 1980. Just like the conflict in Kahramanmaraş in December 1978, the clashes in Çorum seemed to emerge from religious tensions between the dominant Sunnites and the minority of Alevites, but at the same time, they were a battle between right and left wing groups for domination in the town. The committees in the quarters erected barricades trying to avoid further losses.
Although a curfew was announced and the military intervened, some 50 people were killed. While the conflict in Çorum was still continuing, Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel intervened by saying Çorum'u bırak, Fatsa'ya bak. He was referring to the district town at the Black Sea of who in 1979 had elected Fikri Sönmez, known as terzi Fikri as mayor with 62% of the votes. The words of Demirel resulted in the so-called "point operation", a military operation that destroyed the project of self-administration in Fatsa. More than 1,000 people were detained. The military operation in Fatsa was often termed rehearsal for the coup.

Prosecution of Devrimci Yol members

After the military coup of 12 September 1980, tens of thousands of men and women were taken into custody. More than 30,000 were jailed in the first four months after the coup. Alleged members of Devrimci Yol were detained in many parts of the country and tried at military courts. Many of these trials involved several hundred defendants.

Mass trials

The list of mass trials against alleged members of Devrimci Yol and the number of death penalties passed in these trials is based on press reports collected by the alternative türkeihilfe
PlaceDateDefendantsDeath penalties
Izmir30.07.1981183
Adana10.11.1981577
Gölcük21.04.1983492
Iskenderun15.09.19831505
Izmir19.11.19831154
Giresun25.01.19842918
Ünye22.04.1984645
Usak22.05.198410713
Elazig29.01.1985413
Merzifon16.05.19859011
Artvin--.11.198593911
Samsun05.04.1986472
Gölköy06.06.19861013
Adana18.06.198633119
Fatsa--.08.19888118
Ankara17.07.19897237

Executions

Between 1980 and 1984 a total of 50 people including 27 political prisoners were executed in Turkey. Members of Devrimci Yol executed for violent activities were:
After the military coup of September 1980 the number of deaths in custody increased decisively. Many of them were alleged to be the result of torture. The victims included persons who had been detained on suspicion of being members of Devrimci Yol. They included:
  • Zeynel Abidin Ceylan in Ankara on 26 September 1980
  • Cemil Kırbayır in Kars on 9 October 1980
  • Behçet Dinlerer in Ankara on 15 October 1980
  • Himmet Uysal in Uşak on 30 October 1980
  • Cengiz Aksakal in Artvin on 12 November 1980
  • Zafer Müctebaoğlu in Ankara on 15 October 1982
  • Şerafettin Tırıç in Fatsa on 10 August 1985

    Current situation

Some cadres of Devrimci Yol, who managed to leave the country formed an organization in Europe called Devrimci İşçi and for some time published a paper called Demokrat Türkiye, but later dissolved. In April 1991 the Law to Fight Terrorism entered into force in Turkey. Temporary Article 1 of this law provided that all death sentences would be commuted to 10 years' imprisonment. Subsequently, most long-term prisoners including the leading members of Devrimci Yol were released. Most of them joined the Freedom and Solidarity Party. Some people tried to revive Devrimci Yol. Attempts can be seen around journals such as Yön, Devrim, Devrimci Gençlik, Liseli Genç Umut or Halkın Sesi. Other attempts of reorganizing the group have remained at a low level.