Euro-TUC shuns Turkish junta

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. However much a gesture, the refusal of the Brusselsbased European TUC to go ahead with their planned visit to Turkey is an important step forward in exposing the repressive nature of General Evren's ruling junta.

It was the rejection by the dictatorship of the delegation's request to visit imprisoned leaders of the DISK trade union confederation which was cited by ETUC General Secretary Hinterscheid as the reason for calling off the visit.

He added that it amounted to an admission of charges that the prisoners were suffering inhuman treatment and would be denied proper legal facilities.

Ironically the ETUC have consistently turned down requests from DISK for affiliation. Instead they have recognised the class collaborationist TURK-IS organisation which has been allowed to continue its activities since the coup.

Reports of persistent torture meted out to many of the tens of thousands of political prisoners are widespread, and beginning to be an embarrassment to the country's military rulers and their 'democratic' supporters in western Parliaments.

Inhuman One case receiving considerable publicity is that of Istanbul's former mayor, RPP supporter Ahmet Isvan, now awaiting trial in the city's military barracks with DISK Leaders.

The junta has recently gone to great lengths to deny detailed accusations from Isvan's family of inhuman interrogation methods, denials so unconvincing as to force counter charges of responsibility from within the state security forces.

Abroad, the stepping up of surveillance by the police and intelligence services of anti-junta activists has gone alongside threats to withdraw the passports of exiled dissidents and force them to return to Turkey.

Though clearly affecting forces beyond the organised working class internally it is clear that the martial law government has set itself the primary task of breaking up the DISK trade unions, having already gone much further towards this than was attempted in the generals' previous takeover of 1971.

Turkey's capitalists and their military spokesmen still fear more than anything a working class which they know has not been crushed and will inevitably be forced to defy the harsh measures they seek to impose upon it.

Neither can they take any comfort from the continuing activities of the left-wing But Evren's will last.

The Services making ment of past Premier guerrilla groups.

Despite mass arrests and exemplary: hangings of their members, the last few weeks have seen them renew assassinations of top police officials. The national and international ruling class see the present period as a testing ground for Evren's Kemalist' bonapartism, which has successfully pulled behind it for the moment many of the petty bourgeois layers which formerly were the base of the mass fascist party.

there is no guarantee short term "success' US • Senate Armed Committee have been an on-the-spot assessthe situation over the eek,: while Deputy Ozal has been making the acquaintance of Reagan's military adviser.

At the same time he has been meeting the IMF in Washington. Imperialism's support for the Turkish bourgeoisie is total; but the imperialists will need proof that the goods can be delivered.

The Turkey Solidarity Campaign has produced its first 'Information Bulletin on Turkey for the Labour and Trade Union Movement' which is available, free of charge, from TSC; BM Box 5965, London WCIN 3XX. again.

However, the crisis facing Spanish capitalism and Spanish bourgeois democracy has greatly deepened since that first attempted coup and military leaders may well decide that the time has finally come for a strong response against ETA and the Basque people.

If this is the case, the leaders of the working class at the head of the Socialist and Communist Parties bear a heavy responsibility. They have preferred to ignore the threat of a coup in the hope that it would not materialise if they proved themselves sufficiently servile to Spanish capitalism.

In pursuit of this aim they have taken a totally unprincipled position in opposition to the strugglé of the Basque people and ETA.

At the same time they have done nothing to prepare the mobilisation of the working class against the threat of an army takeover.

*A Socialist: Press correspondent is currently in Spain and will be reporting on these dramatic events in coming issues of Socialist Press.

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