Ayhan Hikmet

Last updated
Ayhan Hikmet
Born
Ayhan Hikmet

1929
Died23 April 1962
Nationality Cypriot
Occupation(s)Journalist, Editor, Barrister

Ayhan Hikmet was a Turkish Cypriot who was allegedly assassinated by the Turkish paramilitary group TMT. [1] He was a trained barrister, and editor of the Turkish Cypriot weekly newspaper Cumhuriyet. [2]

On 23 April 1962, masked men broke into his home and shot him in the presence of his wife. His two children were asleep in another room.

On the same day, his friend and colleague Ahmet Muzaffer Gürkan, who founded Cumhuriyet and served as its first editor, was also murdered. He was found dead in his car on the outskirts of Nicosia the following morning. [3]

Both men had been instrumental in founding the Cyprus Turkish People's Party in October 1961, which in its first manifesto had been critical of the Turkish Cypriot leaders, eschewed partition, and called on Turkish Cypriots to support a united Cyprus. Following their murders Cumhuriyet ceased to be published. [4]

President Makarios described the murders as an “odious crime” against individuals who had “ranged themselves on the side of cooperation and the harmonious coexistence of Greeks and Turks and persistently condemned the policy of the extremist elements in their community." He added: “No matter what political differences there may be among the members of the Turkish community, on no account are murder and violence permissible against their opponents, especially when those opponents practise the high calling of journalism.” [5]

Dr. Fazıl Küçük, then Vice-President of Cyprus, said: “I think the persons who committed these murders will not be able to serve any other purpose than undermine order and security within our community and the whole island.” [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyprus problem</span> Dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots

The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the Greek Cypriot community which runs the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north of the island, where troops of the Republic of Turkey are deployed. This dispute is an example of a protracted social conflict. The Cyprus dispute's causes stem from ethnic Greek nationalist ideology, Greek-Cypriot sentiment, the Megali Idea and Enosis, and some of the ethnic Turkish peoples' desire for the partition of the island of Cyprus through Taksim as a means of protection of their people by what they considered to be the threat of Greek-Cypriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makarios III</span> Greek Cypriot politician and archbishop (1913–1977)

Makarios III was a Greek Cypriot archbishop, primate, statesman and politician, who served as the first President of Cyprus between 1960 and 1977. He was also the Archbishop of the autocephalous Church of Cyprus from 1950 to 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EOKA</span> 1955–1959 Greek nationalist guerrilla organisation in Cyprus

The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerilla organization that fought a campaign for the end of British rule in Cyprus, and for eventual union with Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Cyprus (1878–present)</span>

Cyprus was part of the British Empire, under military occupation from 1914 to 1925, and a Crown colony from 1925 to 1960. Cyprus became an independent nation in 1960.

Nikos Sampson was a Cypriot journalist, militant and politician, who was installed as acting President of Cyprus during the 1974 coup.

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyprus Emergency</span> 1955–1959 military conflict in Cyprus

The Cyprus Emergency was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between November 1955 and March 1959.

The Akritas plan, was an inside document of the Greek Cypriot secret organisation of EOK that was authored in 1963 and was revealed to the public in 1966. It entailed the weakening of the Turkish Cypriots in the government of Cyprus and then uniting (enosis) Cyprus with Greece. According to Turkish Cypriots, the plan was a "blueprint to genocide", but Greek Cypriots claimed that it was rather a “defensive plan”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fazıl Önder</span>

Fazıl Önder was a Turkish Cypriot journalist who was assassinated.

Mersin İdmanyurdu Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 1976–77. Mersin İdmanyurdu has promoted from Second League 1975–76, after two season break to first division. It was the second time the team promoted to first division. In the first time, they have remained at the league for seven season. This second promotion had let the team to stay two more seasons. The 1976–77 season was the eighth season of Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) football team in Turkish First Football League in total. They finished seventh in the league.

Mersin İdmanyurdu Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 1968–69. Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) football team took place in Turkish First Football League, the first level division for the second time in 1968–69 season. They finished sixth. They have eliminated from Turkish Cup at first round. They represented Turkey in a friendly cup played in Tehran, Iran. Osman Arpacıoğlu became the first player of MİY capped in Turkey national football team when he was playing in the team.

Mersin İdmanyurdu Sports Club; located in Mersin, east Mediterranean coast of Turkey in 1967–68. Mersin İdmanyurdu (MİY) football team played in Turkish First Football League, the first level division for the first time in 1967–68 season. They finished tenth. In their first season they have become one of the most scorer teams. In Turkish Cup they were eliminated at second round. Before the season MİT had sent an offer to former coach of Turkish national football team Sandro Puppo. However, later Cihat Arman has signed as coach. Bayram Birinci was trainer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Northern Cypriot presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 18 April 2010. The result was a victory for Derviş Eroğlu of the National Unity Party, who received 50.38% of the vote in the first round. If no candidate had crossed the 50% threshold, a run-off would have been held on 25 April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmet Şık</span>

Ahmet Şık is a Turkish investigative journalist, the author of several books, a trade unionist, and member of Parliament in Turkey. His book, The Imam's Army, investigating the controversial Gülen movement of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, led to his detention for a year in 2011–2012 and the book's being seized and banned. He was under indictment in the OdaTV case of the Ergenekon trials; his cause has been taken up by English PEN, an association of writers fighting for freedom of expression. In 2016, the prosecutor in this case requested Şık's acquittal. On 29 December 2016, Şık was taken into custody once again on charges of "propaganda of terrorist organisations", with reference to 11 tweets that he had published. The following day, an Istanbul judge ordered Ahmet's arrest. According to lawyers, Şık was denied access to legal advice, held in solitary confinement, and not given drinking water for three days. He ran as an HDP candidate in 2018 Turkish elections and got elected from Istanbul's second electoral district. In 2020, he resigned from HDP, citing political differences and after sitting as an independent for a year, he joined the Workers' Party of Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dereboyu Avenue</span> Avenue in North Nicosia, Cyprus

Dereboyu Avenue, also known simply as Dereboyu and officially as Mehmet Akif Avenue, is the busiest avenue in North Nicosia, as well as its centre of entertainment. The term "Dereboyu" means "alongside the river", and although in the traditional sense this is only used for Mehmet Akif Avenue running alongside the Pedieos river, the term has expanded in meaning to denote a region extending to the neighbouring Osman Paşa Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab Ahmet, Nicosia</span> Place in Nicosia District Municipality, Cyprus

Arab Ahmet is a neighbourhood, quarter, mahalla or parish of Nicosia, Cyprus and the mosque situated therein. Both the quarter and the mosque are named after Arab Ahmet Pasha, one of the Turkish commanders in the Ottoman conquest of Nicosia. It is spelled Arabahmet in Turkish and Άραπ Άχμετ in Greek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lusignan House</span> Mansion, museum in North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

Lusignan House is a mansion in the Yeni Jami quarter of North Nicosia. It is located on the Yeni Cami Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayraktar Mosque</span>

Bayraktar Mosque is a mosque in Nicosia, Cyprus, currently placed in the southern sector of the city administered by the Republic of Cyprus.

Adalet Cimcoz was a Turkish voice actress, art curator, critic, translator and gossip columnist. She dubbed many film stars over a period of more than thirty years. She also opened and curated Turkey's first and only woman-owned private art gallery for exhibitions of painting, sculpture, mosaic, ceramics, photography, patterns, and folk art. She critiqued literature, art, and theatre for twenty years. She translated a number of classical works of European literature from German to Turkish. She was also a gossip columnist under the pen name "Fitne Fücur" ".

References

  1. Makarios Drousiotis, The First partition, ISBN   978-9963-631-05-6, p 20-31
  2. Cyprus' Cumhuriyet - Ayhan Hikmet & Ahmet Gurkhan on YouTube A documentary about Ayhan Hikmet and Ahmet Muzaffer Gürkan.
  3. See “Murder of Two Journalists in Cyprus”, The Times (UK), 25 April 1962, p. 12.
  4. Erol Kaymak, “The Development of Turkish Cypriot Politics”, in The Government and Politics of Cyprus edited James Ker-Lindsay, Hubert Faustmann (Peter Lang, 2008), p. 232-3. Kaymak gives the date of September 1960 for the founding of the Cyprus Turkish People’s Party. The Times report, however, gives October 1961.
  5. See “Murder of Two Journalists in Cyprus”, The Times (UK), 25 April 1962, p. 12.
  6. See “Murder of Two Journalists in Cyprus”, The Times (UK), 25 April 1962, p. 12.