People's Liberation Army of Turkey

People's Liberation Army of Turkey (THKO) was an armed underground far-left movement in Turkey. It was founded at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey in 1970 by six people: Hüseyin İnan, Yusuf Aslan, Sinan Cemgil, Deniz Gezmiş, Taylan Özgur and Cihan Alptekin.

Goals

THKO thought it was impossible to struggle for independence and democracy within the present Turkish legal framework. They planned peaceful methods of struggle in Turkey. The organization struggled for what they called a "National Democratic Revolution". One of the main goals was to "rid Turkey of all things American".

The main thesis of THKO were:

1. Revolution with the goal of a completely independent and truly democratic Turkey.
2. People's war should be carried out on the basis of the alliance of the proletariat, peasantry and petty bourgeoisie
3. The communist party ("party of the working class") and People's Army should be the two basic organisations of people's war.
4. These two organisations would be built during the war period by support of the masses
5. THKO was a unique organisation, performing the functions of both these two organisations simultaneously.

THKO was shut down in 6 May 1972. The founders were executed. The execution was accepted by 273 votes to 48 votes out of 450 total votes in the parliament.