Deniz Gezmiş facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Deniz Gezmiş
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Deniz Gezmiş
27 February 1947 Ayaş, Turkey
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| Died | 6 May 1972 (aged 25) Altındağ, Turkey
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| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Alma mater | Istanbul University |
| Organization | THKO |
| Parent(s) | Cemil Gezmiş Mukaddes Gezmiş |
Deniz Gezmiş (born February 27, 1947 – died May 6, 1972) was a Turkish revolutionary and student leader. He was a key figure in student movements in Turkey during the late 1960s. He also helped start the People's Liberation Army of Turkey (THKO).
Deniz was born in Ayaş, Turkey. His father was a school inspector, and his mother was a teacher. He grew up in different cities, spending much of his childhood in Sivas. He finished high school in Istanbul, where he first learned about left-wing ideas. Some people compare him and his friends to "Turkey's Ché Guevara and companions" because of their revolutionary spirit.
Political Actions
Deniz Gezmiş began studying law at Istanbul University in 1966. Around this time, he joined the Workers Party of Turkey. In the summer of 1968, he and about 15 other students created the Revolutionary Student Union. He also helped form the Revolutionary Jurists Organisation.
Gezmiş became more and more active in politics. In January 1966, he started the Revolutionary Jurists Association. In June 1968, he was part of a student protest that took over Istanbul University. After this protest ended, he led demonstrations against the arrival of the US 6th Fleet in Istanbul. During these protests, some US soldiers were pushed into the sea. Deniz Gezmiş was arrested for these actions in July 1968 but was released in October of the same year.
As he became more involved with the Worker's Party of Turkey, his ideas began to inspire many students. He was arrested again in November 1968 for protesting a visit by US Ambassador Robert Komer to Turkey, but he was later released. In March 1969, he was arrested again for being involved in student conflicts and was held until April. Gezmiş was arrested once more in May 1969 after leading students in a protest about a new law. He was injured during this conflict. Even though he was being watched, Gezmiş escaped from the hospital. He then went to training camps in Jordan to learn about guerrilla tactics. In 1969, Gezmiş also led a group of students who stopped a lecture by an American scholar at Istanbul University.
During the 1960s, Gezmiş had a connection with an American agent named Aldrich Ames. This agent was looking for information and got details about a student group Gezmiş was part of from one of Gezmiş' roommates.
Arrest and Trial
In December 1970, Gezmiş and his friends were involved in an incident where police officers were injured near the US embassy in Ankara. The next month, he was involved in a bank incident.
On March 4, 1971, he and other members of the People's Liberation Army of Turkey (THKO) took four US soldiers from a logistics group in Ankara. They sent a note to a news agency, asking for something in return for the soldiers. Later, they released the soldiers. Gezmiş and Yusuf Aslan were captured alive in Gemerek, Sivas, after a standoff with police. Gezmiş was then taken to Ankara and shown to the public.
Their trial started on July 16, 1971. They were accused of being involved in the bank incident and the taking of US soldiers. On October 9, Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan, and Hüseyin İnan were sentenced to death. This was for breaking a law about trying to "overthrow the government's order." At that time, a death sentence had to be approved by the Parliament and then by the President.
In March and April 1972, the Parliament strongly approved the death sentences. Some politicians, like İsmet İnönü and Bülent Ecevit, were against the sentences. However, others, including Süleyman Demirel, voted for them. They even shouted, "Three from us, three from them!" This was a reference to politicians who had been executed in 1961.
The Republican People's Party tried to stop the executions by appealing to the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court at first overturned the Parliament's decision, but the Parliament met again and confirmed the death sentences. To try and stop the executions, 11 activists from other groups, including Ertuğrul Kürkçü and Mahir Çayan, took three technicians. They were surrounded by armed forces, and in a shootout, everyone in their group, except Ertuğrul Kürkçü, was killed. Other efforts to stop the executions included protests and a petition signed by many Turkish thinkers like Yaşar Kemal.
On May 3, President Cevdet Sunay signed the decision to execute Gezmiş. Deniz Gezmiş was executed by hanging on May 6, 1972, in Ankara Central Prison, along with Hüseyin İnan and Yusuf Aslan. His last wish was to drink tea and listen to a guitar song called "Concierto de Aranjuez."
What Happened Next
- Those who were executed on May 6, 1972, wanted to be buried next to Taylan Özgür in Ankara, but their wish was not granted.
- In 1980, former prime minister Nihat Erim was assassinated.
- In 1987, Süleyman Demirel, who had supported the executions, later said they were "a mishap which occurred during the Cold War."
- The executions of Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan, and Hüseyin İnan were a sad moment for the Left in Turkey. However, over time, these three young men became symbols for the Turkish Left. The conflict between different political groups continued to grow in the 1970s, leading to the 1980 military coup.
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Deniz Gezmiş
See also
In Spanish: Deniz Gezmiş para niños
