Three university student leaders remembered in 42 year of execution

BURSA – Cihan News Agency

People gather in a park in Bursa to commemorate Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan in the Nilüfer district of Bursa on May 6. AA Photo

Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan, three student leaders executed in 1972 for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, were commemorated in several cities on May 6, on the 42nd anniversary of their death.

Nilüfer Municipality, the Nilüfer City Council and the 68’s Union Foundation organized a commemoration at a monument built in the western province of Bursa in 2010 that is dedicated to the memory of the three men. Friends of the three executed university students held a ceremony at the statue, called the “Three Saplings.”

Gezmiş, İnan and Aslan were found guilty under Article 146 of the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) about “attempting to change all or part of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey.” They were executed on May 6, 1972 at Ulucanlar Penitentiary in Ankara, after the March 12, 1971 military coup.

Speaking during the ceremony, Nilüfer Deputy Mayor Pınar Göz said the three would always live in the hearts of people “as long as free and educated individuals exist in society.”

“We believe that the reasoning that convicted them will one day disappear,” Göz said.

Meanwhile, representatives from unions, politicians and several NGOs visited the three men’s graves in Ankara’s Karşıyaka Cemetery, where they were laid to rest 42 years ago.

Another group held a remembrance ceremony in the province of Ardahan, while also protesting their execution.

Gezmiş became a rallying figure for the Turkish left after his death and posters of his image have become a common sight at protest rallies. In the late 1990s, Gezmiş’ likeness entered everyday life, as various clothes and accessories bearing his face gained popularity in a way comparable to Ernesto “Che” Guevara.