A historical document:
The defence speech of Seyfi Polat convicts fascism

The defence speeches of the 10 September prisoners made on June 5-6, 2008 have been a manifesto of the communist identity challenging fascism and the capitalist system and de-fending the revolution and socialism.
On September 8-12, 2006, the state forces carried out a country-wide operation against the MLCP. As a result of the house raids in 8 cities, 23 communists were arrested. As the first wide implementation of the new Anti-Terror Law that was approved in June 2006, the operation continued on September 21 with raids in 20 cities against approximately 50 offices of newspapers, radio offices, youth, women and neighbourhood associations, trade unions and other legal organisations that were claimed to be related with the MLCP. Tens of revolutionaries were arrested. Those arrested on September 21 were released after being kept in prison from seven months to two years.
The state introduced this operation as if it were a great success which had resulted in the total destruction of the MLCP. However, the actions and activities performed by the communists right after the operation exposed this lie. Moreover, with the protest actions in many cities against the imprisonment of the communists and with a great international support and solidarity, the legitimacy of communism and the fight for socialism was cried out. The MLCP continues its fight against the fascist dictatorship while the communist prisoners turn the trials into tribunes of the conviction of the fascist regime.
The 23 communists arrested on September 8-12, 2006 were not carried to the tribunal for 13 months and the file of the case was secret. At the first hearing that took place on October 26, 2007 at the Heavy Penalty Court in Istanbul-Besiktas, the prisoners and the lawyers refused a legal defence as they did not receive the 13.500 page file until the beginning of the hearing.
The indictment against the 23 communists accuses them for altogether 296 actions that happened between 1994 and 2006 and demands 3000 years of prison in total for 23 communists.
While 13 out of 23 communists are claimed to be affiliated to the leadership of the MLCP, 10 of them are accused with being affiliated to the armed forces of the MLCP. Among the first group are Ibrahim Cicek, Sedat Senoglu, Ziya Ulusoy, Bayram Namaz, Fusun Erdogan, Naci Guner, Arif Celebi, Sultan Ulusoy, Adem Serkan Gundogdu, Ali Hidir Polat, Seyfi Polat, Mehmet Ali Polat and Erkan Ozdemir and they are charged with several times lifelong according to the indictment. As the editors of the legally published newspaper Atilim are among the arrested communist, the newspaper is claimed to be the central organ of the MLCP.
Different sentences between 10.5 and 45 years of prison are demanded for Erkan Salduz, Turac Solak, Elif Almakca, Hatice Bolat, Fatma Siner, Hasan Ozan, Arzu Torun, Soner Cicek, Fethiye Ok and Bilgi Tagac.
The second hearing was held on February 28-29, 2008. At the third hearing held on June 5-6, the communist prisoners made their defence speeches. They exposed the fascist regime in many aspects and defended socialism. At the same hearing, three communists, Fatma Siner, Hasan Ozan and Fethiye Ok, were set free, but the trial against them continues.
Seyfi Polat read out his defence speech in the name of the MLCP. His speech puts forward the main political, ideological, theoretical and military characteristics of the MLCP by analysing the conditions out of which the MLCP emerged, the important processes that shaped its policy-making, the way how it understands the revolution and socialism, its approach to revolutionary violence and the means and methods of struggle that it uses.
We are proud to share the historical defence speech of Seyfi Polat with the revolutionary and communist forces of the world, as it is an important example and a historical document of political defence.