16 June 2008 /International Bureau / Statement No: 38

At the commemoration for the 80th anniversary of the birth of Ernesto Che Guevara, which was organised in Azerbaijani on 14 June, the state forces intervened the young people from the New Generation Communist Youth League and arrested 26 of them. The forces that carried out the attack confiscated the documents of the organisation, video and music CDs, petitions for solidarity with the Cuban Five, petitions of protest against the illegalisation of the Czech Communist Youth Organisation, the beamer that was brought there for the presentation of a documental film on Che Guevara and other documents.
The fact that the Azerbaijani state could not stand even a commemoration, that it arrested the participants from the New Generation Communist Youth League and that it confiscated its documents shows the dimensions of intolerance towards the democratic rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan.
This attack against the New Generation Communist Youth League shows the great fear of the Azerbaijani state of the revolutionary and communist ideas. The Azerbaijani state should know that the revolutionary struggle of Che Guavera, Deniz Gezmis, Ibrahim Kaypakkaya, Mahir Cayan , the FARC commanders Manuel Marulanda and Raul Reyes has left important experiences to the generations that follow them and new generations will increase the struggle by learning from them. It will not be possible to hinder the rise of socialism again in Azerbaijan, which is a country that has already experienced socialism.
Our party protests this attack of the Azerbaijani state against the New Generation Communist Youth League and states that the Azerbaijani friends are not alone. We call upon all the communist and revolutionary forces to protest this attack.

MLCP
Turkey/Northern Kurdistan
International Bureau