Özgür Özel to attend memorial ceremony for Deniz Gezmiş and his comrades

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel will attend the memorial ceremony for Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan, and Hüseyin İnan, prominent figures of the Turkish revolutionary movement who were executed on May 6, 1972.

According to information shared by the CHP press office, Özel will be at Gate No. 2 of Ankara's Karşıyaka Cemetery tomorrow at 10:30 AM.

EXECUTED 52 YEARS AGO

In 1970, as conflicts between right-wing and left-wing groups began to intensify in Turkey, Deniz Gezmiş, along with Sinan Cemgil and Hüseyin İnan, founded the People's Liberation Army of Turkey (THKO) in Ankara.

In January 1971, a bank robbery was carried out in Ankara on behalf of the THKO. Following this, Gezmiş and Yusuf Aslan, who already had arrest warrants against them, were sought with a "shoot-to-kill" order and a bounty was placed on them.

Gezmiş and Aslan were captured in the Germerek district of Sivas four days after the March 12, 1971 memorandum, while İnan was captured in Kayseri a week later.

Gezmiş, Aslan, and İnan were tried by the Ankara No. 1 Martial Law Military Court.

As a result of the trial, they were found guilty under Article 146 of the Turkish Penal Code and sentenced to death.

The execution order was subsequently approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM).

The execution of Gezmiş, Aslan, and İnan was approved in the TBMM amidst chants of "3-3."

There is no definitive information regarding Deniz Gezmiş's final requests. While interviews conducted by author Erdal Öz mention that he wanted to listen to Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez and drink a glass of tea, his lawyer did not confirm this. However, his wish to be buried next to his fellow revolutionary friend Taylan Özgür after his death is included in a letter he wrote to his father.

Gezmiş and Aslan, who were 25 at the time, and İnan, who was 23, were executed in the early hours of May 6, 1972.