>From: "dhkc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:@mailhost1.dircon.co.uk;> >Subject: Part One - Speech at London Political Prisoners Event >Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2000 14:29:50 +0100 > >(The following is the English version of a speech to be delivered at the >September 23 London event in solidarity with political prisoners >organisations by groups and committees from both Turkey and Iran. The speech >is being sent in two parts.) > > >International Solidarity Evening >with Political Prisoners > >On behalf of the organisers of tonight's event, we welcome you to this, the >first international event in solidarity with political prisoners in London. >As an expression of deep admiration and respect, extending our solidarity to >all those resisting torture and the inhuman brutality of the fascist and >reactionary regimes in prison, particularly those in Iran and Turkey, and to >honour the memory of the hundreds of communists, revolutionaries and >militants who gave up their lives but did not give up their secrets, we ask >every one to observe a one-minute silence as an act of defiance. >Thank you. >Comrades and friends, we are here tonight on the occasion of the 12th >anniversary of one of the most horrific events in the history of the >struggle of the Iranian people against imperialism and reaction. Twelve >years ago, the "Islamic republic" regime, having continued the reactionary >war with Iraq for eight years, at an incalculable human and material cost to >the Iranian people, suffered humiliating defeat. Feeling vulnerable and >weak, and sensing the rising tide of popular discontent, and in order to >once and for all end any opposition or any possibility of a threat to its >very existence, the regime commenced a campaign of annihilation and >extermination of thousands of political prisoners. Within a very short >period of time in September 1988, some of the best sons and daughters of the >oppressed peoples of Iran were slaughtered. The estimates of the numbers of >those murdered vary, but it is generally regarded to be between seven and >twelve thousand. The bodies of those killed were buried in unmarked mass >graves and were never returned to their families or loved ones. >The onslaught of the regime against workers and the other toiling masses and >the revolutionary forces began immediately following the February 1979 >revolution, right from the first day that the Islamic republic regime was >established. The crimes of the Islamic republic regime against the workers >and the other toiling masses of Iran are far too many to be listed in the >brief time that we have tonight. But the significance of the events in >September 1988 is that it marks the worst atrocity of this reactionary >regime against the Iranian peoples and shows the degree of anxiety of the >regime confronting the heroic resistance of the political prisoners in Iran. >But contrary to the dreams of the regime and despite its crimes against the >workers and other toiling masses of Iran, the past twelve years of rule by >the Islamic republic have not been a peaceful time. Social crisis spurred on >by endemic economic crises and the financial, political and moral bankruptcy >of the regime have brought a new generation of fighters and militants onto >the political and social scene. Their present-day struggle against the >Islamic republic regime, inspired by the heroic resistance and determination >of the martyred political prisoners, is writing new pages in the history of >class struggle in Iran. The tricks and plots of the fascist regime and other >reactionaries and the imperialist powers have failed to affect the masses. >And once again prisons are being filled with the most honourable, just and >advanced sections of the population. In present-day Iran, every day there is >an uprising in a different city. Every day, the masses express their utter >hatred of this barbaric regime. Every day new fighters are evolving and >developing in the midst of this intense life-and-death struggle. We have no >doubt, notwithstanding the plots and machinations of the Islamic republic >regime and the extent of repression and atrocities committed by this inhuman >regime, that Iran will be the scene of further revolutionary storms in the >not too distant future and that the Islamic republic regime will be >overthrown and the final victory will belong to the workers and the >oppressed masses of Iran. >We are holding this event tonight to highlight the critical nature of the >intense struggle that is being waged today, inside and outside prisons in >Turkey against the implementation of the F-type isolation cells. >On September 26th 1999, in Ankara Ulucanlar Prison, following a deliberate >attack organised by the state security forces, soldiers, police and prison >guards, 10 prisoners were savagely murdered and dozens were badly wounded. >This was not an isolated incident. It was the latest crime in the campaign >of murders, lies and deceit carried out by the fascist regime to advance its >policy of imposing the coffin prisons, officially branded "F-type prisons". >Following the massacre in Ulucanlar Prison and the mass protests against the >brutal attack against the political prisoners, the regime in Turkey in order >to justify the imposition of the F-type prisons and attributing these >murders to the infighting among the prisoners themselves, has chosen to put >on trial the surviving 86 political prisoners from Ulucanlar Prison. The >regime and its controlled media are creating the false impression among >public opinion that the state is no longer in control in prisons in Turkey >to justify the imposition of the notorious policy of F-type prison systems. >The resistance and struggle of the political prisoners in Turkey has a >glorious history. Time and time again the heroic political prisoners in >Turkey, by laying their lives on the line, have succeeded in defeating the >attempts of the reactionary and fascist regime to impose its will and break >the resistance of the revolutionaries in prison. In the past twenty years >every time, the regime has raised the issue of the isolation prison cells, >it has had to retreat because of the determined struggles, protests and >hunger strikes of the political prisoners and the wide-scale solidarity and >support from outside the prisons. >Today, having constructed many new prisons and having planned the >transformation of several prisons into F-type prisons, the fascist state in >Turkey is more determined than ever to win on this issue. However, the >political prisoners who have proven that they are united and more resolved >than ever to resist the plans of the regime in Turkey have declared that "if >necessary they will die but they will not go into the cells". This means >that we will witness more massacres and attacks by the regime. The struggle >of the political prisoners in Turkey today represents one of the most >determined and the most advanced detachments of the anti-imperialist, >anti-fascist and popular movements in the Middle East. This is the critical >nature of the intense struggle in the prisons in Turkey that needs to be >understood and acted upon today. It is important that the people throughout >the whole world and particularly those in Europe, since Turkey is now a >candidate member of the European Union, join and support the international >solidarity campaign for the political prisoners in Turkey. >In the presentations that will be made by our comrades from Iran and Turkey, >on behalf of the organisers of tonight's event, the particular issues and >lessons of the struggle in each country will be dealt with in more depth. >However, there are some issues which we need to point out in relation to our >reasons behind holding such an event, which we hope will gather momentum and >support from all progressive, democratic and revolutionary people, >organisations and campaigns, in the preparation for our future cooperation >in defence of political prisoners and other issues which uphold the causes >of the people's struggle against imperialism, reaction and fascism >internationally. >Why does a regime such as the barbaric Islamic republic regime, which has >already captured and imprisoned, tortured to death, dismembered, stoned to >death, executed pregnant women, assassinated people, carried out bombings >and raped 8-year-old children in prison, decide that it needs to exterminate >tens of thousands of those who have already served or are serving prison >sentences for their beliefs? >Why does a regime such as the one in power in Turkey, which has one of the >darkest records of human rights, which has razed to the ground entire towns >and villages and forced the evacuation of millions of people from their >homes, killed, tortured and maimed tens of thousands of communists, >revolutionaries and militants, which has turned Turkey into a prison and >concentration camp of nations, need to implement a policy such as the F-type >isolation cells? >The answer to these questions lies not in the particular or the unique >nature of these regimes but the fact that they are tied with a thousand and >one strings to the imperialist system and are part of a general trend. That >their nature and behaviour arises and is dictated by the nature and >behaviour of the imperialist system as a whole. Their very existence is tied >to the existence of imperialism. >We are living through one of the most intense economic, political and >financial crises of the world imperialist system. Without a doubt this is >the worst of the cyclic peaks of the endemic crisis of capitalism to date. >Despite what the imperialist media and their cronies wish to portray, that >this is the era of the new world order, globalisation, end of history and >class struggle etc. and that any hardships and difficulties that societies >are faced with are the price that has to be paid for the advance of human >society, the truth is that we are still living in the era of imperialism, >the highest stage of capitalism and the era of world proletarian >revolutions. And that despite the imperialist offensive and attacks against >the workers and the oppressed peoples of the world and despite the setbacks >in the cause of revolution in the past decades, the main trend in the world >continues to be revolution. > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
