International Bulletin (Turkey/Kurdistan MLKP)

10 Years after Suruç: The Fight for Justice Continues
After the heroic defense of Kobanê and the victory of the revolutionary forces in Rojava, it was crucial to defend the Rojava Revolution and rebuild the war-torn region. Motivated by this significance, revolutionary youth from Turkey and Bakur (North Kurdistan) launched a campaign with the slogan “Together we defended it, together we will rebuild it,” to build a bridge between the revolutionary struggle in Turkey and the Rojava Revolution. After weeks of intense preparations, hundreds of people set off for Rojava to complete the successful conclusion of this politically significant campaign.
On July 20, 2015, a press conference was supposed to be held in the city of Suruç, just a few kilometers from the border to Kobanê. However, during the statement, an attack by ISIS killed 33 people. This massacre is the result of a targeted collaboration between the Turkish intelligence services and ISIS. To this day, the families and comrades of the martyrs, who have united in the “Suruç Families Initiative,” are fighting for truth and justice. On the tenth anniversary of the massacre, socialist youth and revolutionary socialists in Turkey, Kurdistan, and Europe carried out campaigns demanding accountability and justice. The uniqueness of this annual campaign lies in its connection of various demands for justice. From femicides and labor murders to state-initiated massacres, the call for justice and remembrance is raised as an essential part of the fight against fascism as a whole.
Throughout July in Turkey and Bakur, numerous actions took place to maintain the memory of the 33 martyrs, while also presenting a strong political and unifying demand for justice. Under the slogan “In the Footsteps of Suruç, In Search of Justice,” memorial events and political mass actions where held. On July 20, the tenth anniversary of the massacre, various actions took place across the country, from militant street protests to commemorations at the graves of the fallen. Among all this, the socialist youth, under the slogan “In the Footsteps of Suruç, the Youth Rises,” was a driving force.
On July 17, the first highlight of the campaign took place in Istanbul with a large memorial event where representatives from various social movements and family members of the fallen expressed their demands for justice. Among the attendees were the parents of Berkin Elvan, Ali İsmail Korkmaz, and Ethem Sarısülük, who became immortalized during the Gezi Uprising, as well as the families of the Alevi victims of the Sivas-Madımak massacre. After a minute of silence, Yasemin Boyraz, the daughter of Bahar Boyraz, who was murdered in the Suruç massacre, gave the opening speech on behalf of the “Suruç Families Initiative.” She emphasized that the fight for justice is a collective resistance and called for the continued pursuit of the massacre’s clarification: “Today, 10 years have passed, but we have not forgotten, we have not forgiven, we have not bowed.”
On July 20, a powerful demonstration took place in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul, worthy of the tenth anniversary of the Suruç massacre. Despite repeated police repression and arrests in previous years, various youth organizations maintained their protest march and organized a demonstration.
In many cities in Turkey and Bakur, people gathered at 11:50, the time of the attack, at the graves of the 33 fallen to remember them. Duygu Tuna, Cemil Yıldız, and İsmet Şeker, three of the “33 Dream Followers,” were remembered at the Gazi cemetery. At the memorial event, a banner reading “No Dream Will Be Left Unfinished” was carried, and photos of the 33 fallen and red carnations were displayed. Afterward, carnations were placed at their graves as well as at the grave of Sezgin Dağ, who was injured in Suruç and died in exile.
Other locations in Istanbul also held memorials for the 33: Nazegül Boyraz at Küçükyalı Cemetery, Vatan Budak at Gaziosmanpaşa Karlıtepe Cemetery, Büşra Mete at Şeyhli Cemetery, Ece Dinç at Karacaahmet Cemetery, Polen Ünlü and Hatice Ezgi Sadet at Ihlamurkuyu Cemetery. In other cities and regions, people gathered at the graves of the fallen: Ferdane and Nartan Kılıç in Bursa, Okan Pirinç in Antakya, Uğur Özkan in Şırnak Cizre, Çağdaş Aydın in Dersim Ovacık, Yunus Emre Şen in Van, Süleyman Aksu in Hakkari Yüksekova, Veysel Özdemir and Nazlı Akyürek in Amed (Diyarbakır), Murat Yurtgül and Emrullah Akhamur in Mardin Kızıltepe.
Cebrail Günebakan, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Organization KGÖ, was remembered at his grave in Elazığ, Karakoçan. The memorial march to Amara in Suruç marked a particularly symbolic moment in the campaign. For the first time, hundreds of people marched from the city center to the Amara Garden. The demonstrators loudly chanted the slogan that was also called during the massacre: “From Arîn to Sibel, we march towards victory.” Many gathered in front of the district office of the DEM Party to commemorate together. While in previous years, the police had regularly obstructed the march, this year it was carried out unhindered.
At the place where a tree stood in flames after the attack and which has now been replanted, participants displayed photos of the 33 fallen and decorated them with red carnations. The central memorial event took place in the garden of the Amara Cultural Center, the place where the 33 Dream Followers became immortal.
In Izmir, the monthly rally took place, where a banner with the photos of the 33 fallen and the slogan “No Dream Will Be Left Unfinished” was carried, followed by a demonstration. In Adana, a fascist attack occurred during a rally when a provocateur ran into the crowd with the fascist “wolf salute,” and the police attacked the participants. Despite these attacks, a dignified memorial was held. In Eskişehir, youth organizations organized a protest march and emphasized that Suruç could not be erased from their memory. Further memorial actions were held in Van, Edremit, Dersim, Mersin, Bursa, Antalya, Samsun, Denizli, and Rize. In Ankara, youth organizations marched under the slogan “Justice for Suruç, Justice for All” from Kızılay Square to Güvenpark, where the police surrounded the protest, 40 people were temporarily arrested.
In Rojava, numerous actions were also held in memory of the 33 fallen in the Suruç massacre. A central event was a demonstration organized by the Revolutionary Communist Youth (CKŞ) and the Communist Revolutionary Movement (TKŞ) in Kobanê, which ended with a commemoration event. The demonstration went from Azadî Square to Pirsûs Martyr Park. The communists carried banners with the pictures of the fallen from Suruç and slogans honoring the immortal struggle of the fallen. Memorial events were also held in Qamişlo and Hesekê. During the campaign child festivals, football tournaments, and visits to the youth institutions of the revolution were organized.
The Cemil-Yıldız-Militia, Cebrail-Günebakan-Militia, and MLKP/KKÖ-Büşra-Mete-Militia carried out various practically legitimate actions in Istanbul and Kocaeli. With graffiti, banners, and slogans, they demanded justice in working-class disctricts and central neighborhoods, calling on workers, laborers, and youth to join the fight. The communist militia groups welcomed the youth-led uprising of March 19 and emphasized that the youth is a decisive force in the revolutionary struggle, inviting them into the revolutionary ranks and stating that the 10th anniversary of the massacre should not only serve as a memory but also as a starting point for an intensified offensive against fascism, poverty, and hopelessness.
In Europe, the 10th anniversary of the Suruç massacre was commemorated in numerous cities, demanding justice for the 33 fallen. In 33 cities, various actions took place, connecting the remembrance of the immortals with a clear political message: the demand for accountability and the continuation of their struggle. In Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland, Belgium, and England, the Suruç massacre was remembered in various ways. In all actions in Europe, the importance of united, international struggle was emphasized. The campaign was an important and vibrant phase of remembrance, united youth action, and the fight against fascism.

Syria and the US Intervention
The collaboration between the imperialist camp of the USA and the UK with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by al-Golani, a former IS and Al-Qaeda recruit, has marked the beginning of a new political phase. HTS represents a politically Islamist, fascist structure composed of remnants of IS and Al-Qaeda, along with other jihadist groups that have united in a form of coalition. Their goal is to establish a Sunni-Islamist fascist dictatorship. In the imperialist plan for a new Syria under al-Golani’s leadership, Israel, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are also involved. The ongoing conflicts between Israel and HTS/al-Golani, as well as the occupation of the Golan Heights and Israel’s attacks on military forces and Syria’s infrastructure, should not mislead anyone. Israel views HTS as a long-term nuisance, despite the current US plans for Syria. Israel’s recent military interventions aim to prevent Syria from gaining stability and to expand the Zionist occupation in the region. Through boundless demagoguery, they continue to create chaos under the pretext of ensuring the safety of the people. The Zionist occupying state remains one of the greatest threats to the peoples of the region, yet their conflicts with HTS are currently subordinated to imperialist interests.
It must not be forgotten that HTS is not a homogeneous group, but rather consists of various politically Islamist factions with different tendencies. The imperialists are attempting to align the various factions and groups within and outside HTS according to their own interests and to steer the sell-off of the country.
The strategic goal of the imperialist USA and the NATO bloc in Syria is clear: they want to block Iran’s path to the Mediterranean and the West, disarm and eliminate the states and forces allied with Iran, and limit the influence of Russia and China in the Middle East to secure their own regional dominance. HTS is a means to an end, as the imperialists currently have no better alternative. Thus, the democratic and collective demands of the Kurds, Alawites, Druze, Christians, women, and secular forces in Syria are ignored by the imperialists. Lynchings, massacres, raids, and rapes by HTS militias are tolerated. Massacres and the occupation of Alawite areas along the coast run parallel to the auctioning off of Syrian ports to international corporations, with millions of dollars in contracts, which explains the silent consent of the imperialists.
The Western imperialist bloc needs a centralized power structure in Syria. It requires lackeys to represent its interests. The lives of the people and their democratic demands are not part of imperialist plans. The statements by Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey and colonial governor of the USA, that there can only be one nation, one army, and one centralized state in Syria, must be understood within the context of this imperialist plan. Every popular and societal sector should submit to the central authority of al-Golani. The centralized rule in Syria within the context of the globalized world economy represents for them the best opportunity to further the monopolistic exploitation of the world. The emphasis that no federation or autonomy is possible in Syria serves to exert pressure on the SDF to dissolve and integrate into HTS.
Meanwhile, the Turkish colonial state supports HTS to undermine and eliminate Kurdish achievements. Erdoğan’s war and occupation minister, Yaşar Güler, is directing HTS into an open conflict with the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Under the pretext of “support against Israel,” the relations between the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) and MIT (Turkish Intelligence) with HTS continue on every military and political level. Both Netanyahu and Erdoğan represent genocide and occupation in Syria and the entire region.
However, despite all the support, HTS is not able to establish a centralized power structure in Syria. When al-Golani moved to Damascus, he and his social base were militarily unable to form a state power in Syria, and they still are. But the imperialist forces and Turkey are currently keeping him in power. The recent developments in the Druze areas in southwestern Syria, around the city of Suwayda, highlight the dangers posed by HTS. The situation of the Druze shows that the legitimate self-defense of the people is the only path to self-determination and their right to exist. Now al-Golani accuses the Druze of “following the games of foreign powers,” while he himself imposes an externally dictated constitution on the country.
The resistance from the Druze areas around Suwayda demonstrates that the peoples of this region are capable of uniting, organizing, and strengthening their self-defense. This resistance expresses the need for a united front against imperialist and fascist forces. The correct strategy of united self-defense and organized response against imperialist and Zionist plans is crucial to achieving a life of dignity, freedom, and equality in Syria. The democratic future of Syria lies in the united struggle of the people against Islamic fascism, imperialist invaders, and Zionism.

Solidarity with CPI Maoist and the Martyrs of the Indian Revolution!
The CPI Maoist is leading a unique and self-sacrificing resistance against the fascist Modi regime in India. In the midst of this struggle, we received the news on May 21 that Comrade Basavaraj, along with 27 other comrades, had fallen during a military siege. As General Secretary of CPI Maoist, he dedicated himself entirely to the revolutionary cause and led his party through the most difficult times. This loss is not only a heavy blow to the Indian revolutionary movement but to the revolutionary forces worldwide.
Since 2024, the latest counterrevolutionary offensive, called “Operation Kagaar,” has been launched against the CPI Maoist and the Adivasi people. In this brutal military operation, over 400 people have been killed so far, including 27 cadres of CPI Maoist. The Modi regime seeks to completely annihilate the CPI Maoist and the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in order to break the antifascist movement and the revolutionary power in the country. At the same time, the indigenous Adivasi people is also targeted by the fascist Modi regime; one-third of those killed by the fascist forces are Adivasi, and almost half are women. The Adivasi are not only supporters of the revolutionary movement but also active defenders of their lands.
With great respect and admiration for the legacy left behind by the martyrs, we commemorate and promise to continue the fight for socialism and the liberation of humanity with the same determination, carrying their banner to victory.
We call on all revolutionaries and internationalists to join the solidarity week for the martyrs of CPI Maoist, which has been declared from July 28 to August 3. We also demand the release of all political prisoners in India. The Eastern Regional Bureau of CPI Maoist has called for a nationwide “Bandh” (shutdown) to protest Operation Kagaar. This call is a strong sign of resistance and solidarity for the united fight in several Indian states. Furthermore, the ERB published an obituary for the fallen comrades, including Comrade Basavaraj and Comrade Vivek, a member of the Politburo. It is a direct call from CPI Maoist to continue the revolutionary struggle with the same determination.
In the face of worldwide growing repression and the existential crisis of capitalism, which is leading humanity into barbarism on many levels, we call on all to draw inspiration from the lives of the martyrs and to set ourselves on an even more determined and devoted course. The fight against imperialism and fascism requires this dedication and revolutionary violence to overcome the prevailing conditions. Let us strengthen our morale in the spirit of revolutionary internationalism. Our solidarity knows no boundaries: not only in India is an unjust war being waged against the people, but also in Palestine, the Zionist occupying power is waging a war of extermination against the people of Gaza. Our solidarity is with all those who resist fascism, imperialism, and colonialism and who break the counterrevolutionary front of the rulers.