Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) Devrimci Halk Kurtulu_ Partisi - Cephesi
Origins
The origin of the Turkish leftist organizations is rather complicate. The Turkish People’s Liberation Party-Front (THKP-C) was the original organization. In 1971, this organization lost its main leaders as a result of the military coup that took place in that year in Turkey. From 1972 there were many splits; the main organization that came out of this was DEV-GENç (“Revolutionary Youth”), which was a legal organization. In 1978, the Revolutionary Youth split into two: DEV-YOL, which practically ceased to exist in the 1980s; and Devrimci Sol (DEV-SOL). The latter become the DHKP/C in 1994.
Location / Main area of operation
The armed operations of this NSAG are limited to the territory of Turkey. Specifically, they are active in major cities (Istanbul, Ismir, and other coast towns), as well as in Tokat and Dersim. The leader and founder of this armed group, Dursun Karata, is based in Holland. The group has information offices in Belgium, France and Germany. The group also carries out activities of fundraising and of political nature in certain Western European countries –i.e. Germany and Switzerland- despite of its prohibition in the former.
Objectives
This armed group seeks a “people’s revolution” through a “people’s war” to reach a “democratic, socialist Turkey.” This people’s war would be conducted through an avant garde of militants, and then the people would follow. Certain sources reports that this armed group is opposed to the US and to NATO.
Number of Members
The estimates of this armed group’s members made by analysts significantly differ ranging from several dozen to 1,000. Currently, it has between 50 and 100 armed members. However, in the 1970s, it had thousands of militants.
Type : National
It is a national NSAG as its armed actions have been limited to the territory of Turkey.
Conflict Status : Active
It is reported that this armed group remains active. Although it has reduced its armed operations due the arrest of several of its members by Turkish authorities, it has continued operating, mainly by carrying out attacks against Turkish government targets and Western interests in Turkey. In addition, the members of this armed group in prison have conducted hunger protests to draw attention to the conditions of their detention, which they find inappropriate.
Structure of the organization
There is little information available on this subject. It is known that this armed group has an armed wing called Devrimci Halk Ordusu or Silahli Devrimci Birlikleri; translation into English, the Army of Revolutionary People or the Armed Revolutionary Units.
Leadership
The only current leader of this armed group known is its founder Dursun Karatas, who has led the movement since its foundation in 1994. He lives in exile in Holland.
External aid/Third party involvement
In the 1990s, this armed group joined an alliance with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), through which it received PKK support. This alliance was interrupted after the arrest of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
External effects of the NSAG's armed activities
It appears that the armed operations of this armed group have not had any direct external effect.
Funding
Most Several sources report that the funding of this armed group mainly comes from donations in particular from individuals in certain Western European countries, i.e. Germany and Switzerland. Formerly this armed group committed bank robberies and quite extensively so until the 1980s. They admitted this, maintaining that it was part of their Marxist-Leninist struggle.
Relationship with the international community
This armed group is included in the lists of terrorist organizations of both the U.S. Department of State and the European Union. In addition, this armed group has been banned in Germany since 1998.
Books
• Balencie, J-M & De La Grange, A. (2005), Les Nouveaux Mondes rebelles (Paris: éditions Michalon).
• Baud, Jacques (2003), Encyclopédie des terrorismes et violences politiques (Panazol: Lavauzelle).
Articles and Chapters
• Atkins, Stephen E. (2004), “DEV-SOL (Revolutionary Left) (Turkey),” in Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers), available at link.
• Cline, L.E., “From Ocalan to Al Qaida: The Continuing Terrorist Threat in Turkey,” 27.4 Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 321 (2004), at 321-335.
• Donmez, R. (2004), “Turkey,” in Bogdan Szajkowski (ed), Revolutionary and Dissident Movements of the World 485 (London: John Harper Publishing).
Reports and resolutions of intergovernmental organizations
• EU Council, Common Position of 27 December 2001 on the Application of Specific Measures to Combat Terrorism, Doc. No. 2001/931/CFSP, Official Journal of the European Communities L 344/93, 28.12.2001.
• EU Council, Common Position 2006/380/CFSP of 29 May 2006, Official Journal of the European Communities L 144/25, 31.05.2006.
Governmental reports
• U.S. Department of State, 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism Report, April 2004, Appendix C, Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), at 135, available at link
Reports of think tanks and non-governmental organizations
Press Information (in chronological order)
Interviews
• Geneva Call interview with Turkey expert, Geneva, 25 October 2007.
Internet resources
• Federation of American Scientists, Intelligence Resource Program, Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), available at
link
• GlobalSecurity.org, Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), available at
link
• IISS Armed Conflict Database, Non State Armed Groups, Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), available at link
• National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, DHKP/C, available at link.
• Terrorism Project (Noriyuki Katagiri), In the Spotlight: Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (RPLP/F), 2002, available at link.
• Wikipedia in French, DHKP-C, available at link.
Statements of the armed group
Agreements involving armed groups