Erdal Eren was executed by hanging in the aftermath of the Military coup in September 1980 in Turkey. Erdal Eren was born on the 25 September 1961 (or 1964 as promoted by the leftists) in

Şebinkarahisar Şebinkarahisar is a town in and the administrative seat for Şebinkarahisar District, Giresun Province in the Black Sea region of northeastern Turkey. Name The 6th century Byzantine historian Procopius writes that the Roman general Pompey captu ...

, Giresun. His death sparked outrage in the Turkish society, as he was 17 years old at the time of his execution according to his advocate. However, his father wrote in his letter to Kenan Evren that during the event Zekeriya Önge was killed, Eren was 18 years and 4 months old. Eren was a student at a vocational high school in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

and a member of the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Association. He was arrested on the 2 February 1980 during a protest against the murder of Sinan Suner, who had been killed by a member of the security detail of from the

Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has bee ...

(MHP). During the protest, Eren fled a confrontation with the police, but was later caught. The officer who caught him, , was shot a few moments later and Eren was prosecuted and sentenced to death for the murder on the 19 March. During trial Eren denied having killed Önge and witnesses testified that the police officer was shot from behind and from some distance by a third party. However, he confessed he shot Önge and claimed Önge was killed by his as well as another soldier's shoot while interviewed by journalist

Savaş Ay Savaş Ay (26 March 1954 – 9 November 2013) was a Turkish newspaper and television journalist, best known for his panel discussion television series ''A Takımı'' (The A-Team). Savaş Ay was born on 26 March 1954 in Gaziantep to actor Turan A ...

shortly before he was executed. Eren was hanged on the 13 December 1980 in Ulucanlar prison and buried in Karşıyaka cemetery. The coup leader, Kenan Evren, claimed that Eren was a terrorist and had murdered Önge by shooting him from behind.

Legacy

Every year mourners would hold meetings in his memory at his grave and several artists dedicated their art and songs to his memory.

Ahmet Kaya Ahmet Kaya (28 October 1957 – 16 November 2000) was a Turkish– Kurdish folk singer. Kaya was persecuted by Turkish nationalist celebrities and authorities. Kaya left Turkey in an act of self- exile, and moved to France, where he would sho ...

, Grup Yorum,

Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish pop music singer, songwriter and producer who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and "''Minik Serçe''" ("Little Spa ...

and

Teoman Teoman () is a masculine Turkish given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Ali Teoman Germaner (1934–2018) Turkish sculptor * Teoman Koman (c. 1936–2013), Turkish general * Teoman (singer), stage name of Faz ...

have recorded songs dedicated to Eren. In June 2015, the municipal assembly of Aydın decided to change the name of the Kenan Evren street in the

Kuşadası Kuşadası () is a large resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast, and the center of the seaside district of the same name within Aydın Province. Kuşadası is south of İzmir, and about from Aydın. The municipality's primary industry is tour ...

district into Erdal Eren street.

References

{{Authority control 1980 deaths Turkish criminal law