Once again there has been repression against Partizan readers in Turkey. Last Saturday, on May 18, there was a commemoration of the anniversary of the assassination of communist leader Ibrahim Kaypakkaya in the Istanbul district of Kadıköy. Twenty-one youths and young adults were taken into custody.

Four young revolutionaries are currently still under arrest. They are accused of making propaganda for a "terrorist organization" and resisting the police. Many of those arrested tell of torture through beatings and other physical violence. One of the detainees had his fingers broken. Two Partizan readers were also detained in the Istanbul districts of Sarıgazi and Pendik. Again, it is reported that one of the detainees was tortured in a police vehicle and later at the police station with beatings and blows before the Partizan reader was handcuffed behind his back for the "medical check".

This incident is similar to the one on May Day, when six Partizan readers were arrested for carrying banners with the image of Communist leader Ibrahim Kaypakkaya.

In Turkey, however, neither Partizan nor the portraits of Ibrahim Kaypakkaya have been seen so far. The attack shows the seething hatred of the reaction against what Ibrahim Kaypakkaya and his successors stand for, the new democratic revolution in Turkey. The revolutionary legacy of Kaypakkaya can also be seen in the fact that, despite the repression, the comrades continue to honor his memory and uphold Ibrahim Kaypakkaya's work with numerous banners, placards and posters.