tion), recently won his asylum in Britain.
Turkey.
THE first thing I'd like to do is thank all those supporters of Socialist Challenge who campaigned to prevent my deportaTOnI In times like these, the hypocrisy of our rulers in preserve their system of exploitation takes breath away. Having the go-ahead to torturers and dictators the world over, President Reagan sponsored the horrendous 'Let Poland Be Poland' show Then he invites General Kenan Evren, Turkish Head of State, to appear on it. Boggles This man Evren, it should be recalled, is head of a military junta with ten hangings, hundreds of of thousands of political - in short a track record which makes General Jaruzelski a0082I Truly, to quote leader of the organisation Kurtulus (Liberabattle for political Here he outlines the events around the trial of the trade union leaders in Alexander Haig. it bog gles my mind' Turkey the entire leadership of the malor trade union confederation DISK OVEr nair a mion workers are on trial for their lives On 24 December 1981 fifteen months after their CHEST executive members of DISK appeared on trial for the first time. The military prosecutor is demanding the death penalty for them. In nIS indictment nounced that preparations are underway for the trials more DISK members.
An atmosphere of terron usands of stdiers sur- trial. round court and roadblocks have been set up throughout a radius of several miles On the second day of the trial the military prosecutor said:
This is a very impor tant trial. Both Turkish and world public opinion have a great interest in the trial everybody is watching us We must finish it without We are adopting the *war conditions regula tions la series of excep tional measures severely limiting the right to defence, demanded by the prosecutor and accepted by the judges on the first day of the trial) to finish this trial quickly.
This trial will finish soon because there GEE not any witnesses, and the number of limited. Immediately after this trial we will open the trials for democratic organisations and the Republican People's Part MPs. The trials for DISK affiliated trade unions will follow them. There is little to add to that.
The DISK trial is impor tant to the junta because Defending the 'free world: NATO's junta in Turkey labour DISK represents the first stage of political conclass in Turkey. at the head of all the mass political mobilisations of the working people in Turkey. Strikes When the army took power in September 1980 54,000 workers overe strike, 48,000 them members of DISK. . In the nine months prior to the Matt Merrigan, district secretary of the ATGWU, speaks to the movement conference on Ireland coup there were seven Then year in we turkish times as many lost other year history. The junta's pro ject was to break the back of this movement. working class solidarity can expost these that they are. There is an urgent need to get out the truth about Turkey, fight for trade union and democratic rights, against torture, against executions.
*SOLIDARTY CANS should a member of NATO. Y a member of NATO Turkey Solidarity Can paign in this country or from Dishr tour speakers other unions to take plac at the end of March. It already sponsored by u Bakers Union, the Fi Brigades Union, and th National Union of Jou nalists at a national leve NUM Now we are trying 1 win support for the tour: local and regional leve Already the Derbyshi area of the NUM has aske organise a meeting Readers who are able get trade union or Labo Party sponsorship for t tour should do so at onc are plannin meetings in all the majc industrial areas.
Details of TSI London WC1/ Socialist Challenge 4 March 1982 page