Dursun Karatas
Encyclopedia
Dursun Karataş was the founding leader of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front
(DHKP-C) in Turkey
.
Karataş founded Dev-Sol (Revolutionary Left, precursor of DHKP-C) in 1978, as an offshoot of the Turkish People's Liberation Party/Front
. The group was based in Istanbul
.
Karataş was jailed after the 1980 military coup. In prison a political reorganisation was undertaken. The Dev-Sol inmates at Bayrampaşa
prison refused to follow orders and boycotted court invitations. In prison Karataş wrote "Haklıyız Kazanacağız" ("We Are Right, We Shall Prevail"); a work which included an analysis of the movement's mistakes, and a list of the organization's enemies. It was published in two volumes in 1989, spanning more than 1000 pages.
He escaped from prison in 1989, allegedly under the protection of retired general Veli Küçük, who has been detained for involvement in the Ergenekon case. After escaping from jail, he went into exile in Europe. In 1989-1990 Dev-Sol carried out a series of attacks. However, on July 12, 1991, Turkish police was able to dismantle several cells of the organization. Karataş fled to Europe. In April 1992 his wife Sahabat was killed by the Turkish police.
Following the police crackdown on Dev-Sol, Karataş was kidnapped and detained by the second-in-command of the movement, Bedri Yağan, on September 13, 1993. Karataş did however escape from captivity, and Dev-Sol was divided. Karataş and his followers reorganized their movement as DHKP-C.
On September 9, 1994 he was arrested at the Franco-Italian border, and sentenced to four years in prison. In 2006 a Belgian
court sentenced him in absentia
.
The Ankara
9th administrative court ruled in February 2007 that Turkey should pay an YTL
1,000 compensation to Karataş, who was tried in absentia for 27 years, for membership in an outlawed organization and the unauthorized possession of guns and fake documents. The judges' decision stated that: "The Karataş trial process started at the Ordu Martial Law Court in 1981 and has not been concluded since then. We have decided that Turkey should pay compensation to Karataş for such a lengthy trial process
."
Karataş died on August 11, 2008 at the Rijnstate hospital in Arnhem
, Netherlands
. (Some sources initially reported him as having died in Belgium
, however the spokesperson of the organization in Brussels
, Bahar Kimyongür, said that Karataş' friends gathered to pay their respects in the Netherlands.) He lies in the Gazi
Cemevi
of Istanbul. According to columnist Ekrem Dumanli, the leader of the prominently Alevi
DHKP-C organization revealed itself to be a Sunni Muslim
: Karataş was buried in the Gazi district of Istanbul after a ceremony at a local cemevi (an Alevi house of worship) and a funeral prayer at a local mosque. Five thousand people attended his funeral procession.
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front
The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, is a Marxist-Leninist party in Turkey.-History:...
(DHKP-C) in 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...
.
Karataş founded Dev-Sol (Revolutionary Left, precursor of DHKP-C) in 1978, as an offshoot of the Turkish People's Liberation Party/Front
Turkish People's Liberation Party-Front/Revolutionary Coordination Unity
People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey/Revolutionary Coordination Unity was a short-lived revolutionary Marxist-Leninist organization in Turkey...
. The group was based in 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...
.
Karataş was jailed after the 1980 military coup. In prison a political reorganisation was undertaken. The Dev-Sol inmates at Bayrampaşa
Bayrampasa
Bayrampaşa is a suburban district of Istanbul, Turkey on the European side of the city. The district comprises both working class residential and industrial areas. Population is 240,000 , and the district covers an area of . The mayor is Atila Aydıner .The people of Bayrampaşa are mainly Bosniaks...
prison refused to follow orders and boycotted court invitations. In prison Karataş wrote "Haklıyız Kazanacağız" ("We Are Right, We Shall Prevail"); a work which included an analysis of the movement's mistakes, and a list of the organization's enemies. It was published in two volumes in 1989, spanning more than 1000 pages.
He escaped from prison in 1989, allegedly under the protection of retired general Veli Küçük, who has been detained for involvement in the Ergenekon case. After escaping from jail, he went into exile in Europe. In 1989-1990 Dev-Sol carried out a series of attacks. However, on July 12, 1991, Turkish police was able to dismantle several cells of the organization. Karataş fled to Europe. In April 1992 his wife Sahabat was killed by the Turkish police.
Following the police crackdown on Dev-Sol, Karataş was kidnapped and detained by the second-in-command of the movement, Bedri Yağan, on September 13, 1993. Karataş did however escape from captivity, and Dev-Sol was divided. Karataş and his followers reorganized their movement as DHKP-C.
On September 9, 1994 he was arrested at the Franco-Italian border, and sentenced to four years in prison. In 2006 a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
court sentenced him in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
.
The 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....
9th administrative court ruled in February 2007 that Turkey should pay an YTL
Turkish new lira
The new Turkish lira was the currency of Turkey and the de facto independent state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between 1 January 2005 and 1 January 2009 which was a transition period for the removal of six zeroes from the currency. The new lira was subdivided into 100 new kurush...
1,000 compensation to Karataş, who was tried in absentia for 27 years, for membership in an outlawed organization and the unauthorized possession of guns and fake documents. The judges' decision stated that: "The Karataş trial process started at the Ordu Martial Law Court in 1981 and has not been concluded since then. We have decided that Turkey should pay compensation to Karataş for such a lengthy trial process
Human rights in Turkey
Human rights in Turkey are theoretically protected by a variety of international law treaties, which take precedence over domestic legislation, according to Article 90 of the 1982 Constitution....
."
Karataş died on August 11, 2008 at the Rijnstate hospital in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. (Some sources initially reported him as having died in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, however the spokesperson of the organization in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Bahar Kimyongür, said that Karataş' friends gathered to pay their respects in the Netherlands.) He lies in the Gazi
Gaziosmanpasa
Gaziosmanpaşa is an impoverished working class municipality and district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. With a population of 400,000 plus, it is one of the most populous districts. In 2009 Gaziosmanpaşa district were the divided to three districts: Gaziosmanpaşa, the central;...
Cemevi
Cemevi
A Cemevi means literally a house of gathering in Turkish, and is a place of fundamental importance for Turkey's Alevi-Bektashi populations and traditions. It is not a place of worship in the strict sense of the term; the accent is laid on its aspect as lieu of assemblage...
of Istanbul. According to columnist Ekrem Dumanli, the leader of the prominently Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
DHKP-C organization revealed itself to be a Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
: Karataş was buried in the Gazi district of Istanbul after a ceremony at a local cemevi (an Alevi house of worship) and a funeral prayer at a local mosque. Five thousand people attended his funeral procession.