Who is Deniz Gezmiş?

Deniz Gezmiş's Protest Against the 6th Fleet and His Arrest

Deniz Gezmiş was born on February 27, 1947, in Ayaş, Ankara. As his father was a teacher, he was transferred to different provinces, and his next stop was Sivas. He attended high school in Sivas and became acquainted with left-wing ideology during his high school years. He made a name for himself by participating in protests under the conditions of Turkey at that time. He became a member of the Turkish People's Liberation Party and his life took a completely different direction from that point on. He was involved in protests many times and was taken into custody. However, he was acquitted and released each time. On November 7, 1966, he was accepted into Istanbul University Faculty of Law and began his university life. While studying law, Deniz Gezmiş continued his activism with organizations and protests, persisting in his struggle against American mandate.

Deniz Gezmiş's Execution

Following the occupation, he protested the arrival of the 6th Fleet in Istanbul and participated in all the planned actions during this period. He was arrested on July 30 and released again on September 20. During this period, he was arrested multiple times and released each time. He began to think that he needed to struggle in a different way rather than continuing his struggle with student protests. He participated in the action of kidnapping American soldiers, and the abducted soldiers were released. At that time, Deniz Gezmiş, who opposed American imperialism with his friends, continued his struggle without faltering or fear. The March 12 coup marked the beginning of an irreversible process for Deniz Gezmiş and his friends. As a result of a shootout following a tip-off that led to the arrival of the police, Deniz Gezmiş and his friends were now on the wanted list. He was sought as a political criminal and was captured in Sivas on March 16, 1971. The court demanded apologies, but they did not back down. At that time, parliament approved death sentences. Bülent Ecevit and İsmet İnönü did not sign this decision, advocating that death sentences should not be given to political criminals. However, AP leader Süleyman Demirel signed the decision. His last words before his execution were "Long live fully independent Turkey." He was hanged in prison at midnight on May 6, 1972, along with Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan.