List of Turkish diplomats assassinated by Armenian militant organisations

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Ahmet Benler's Volkswagen

This is a list of Turkish diplomats and other officials assassinated by Armenian militant organisations. The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) were Armenian nationalist militant groups [1] that targeted Turkish diplomats and officials in Europe, the Middle East, and North America in a series of bombings, shootings, and other attacks. [2] The group aimed to draw international attention to the Armenian genocide and to pressure Turkey to acknowledge the killings as a genocide. [3] The attacks resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, including Turkish diplomats, embassy staff, and bystanders, and injured many more. [4] The group's actions were widely condemned by the international community including the Reagan administration that labelled the assassinations as terrorism. [5] [6] [7] In the following years, the international community's response led to a wave of arrests and extraditions of ASALA members. [8] [9] The ASALA and JCAG attacks and the Armenian genocide remain highly sensitive and controversial topics in Turkey, [10] and discussions of the events are often met with strong emotions and heated political debates. [11] Despite this, the attacks serve as a reminder of the ongoing tensions and historical wounds that continue to affect Armenian-Turkish relations to this day. [12]

Contents

List of ambassadors

AmbassadorStatusDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.
İsmail Erez Fully accredited Paris, France 24 October 1975 [13] [14] [15]
Daniş Tunalıgil Fully accredited Vienna, Austria 27 October 1975 [16]
Taha Carım Fully accredited Vatican City 9 June 1977 [17]
Beşir BalcıoğluNot active Madrid, Spain 2 June 1978 [18]
Galip Balkar Fully accredited Belgrade, Serbia 9 March 1983 [19]

List of high-ranking diplomats

DiplomatTitleDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.
Mehmet Baydar Consul general Santa Barbara, California 27 January 1973 [8]
Bahadır Demir Consul
Oktar Cirit First secretary Beirut, Lebanon 16 February 1976 [20] [21]
Şarık Arıyak Consul general Sydney, Australia 17 December 1980 [22] [23] [24]
Kemal Arıkan Consul general Los Angeles, California 28 January 1982
Orhan Gündüz Honorary consul general Somerville, Massachusetts 4 May 1982

List of security officials

IndividualMilitary rankTitleDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.
Talip YenerN/ADriver Paris, France 24 October 1975 [25]
Engin SeverN/ASecurity attaché Sydney, Australia 17 December 1980 [22] [23] [24]
Cemal ÖzenN/ASecurity attaché Paris, France 24 September 1981
Atilla Altıkat Air Force ColonelMilitary attaché Ottawa, Canada 27 August 1982 [26]

List of general staff

DiplomatTitleDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.
Yılmaz ÇolpanTourism counsellor Paris, France 22 December 1979 [27]
Galip ÖzmenAdministrative attaché Athens, Greece 31 July 1980 [28] [29] [30]
Reşat MoralıLabour attaché Paris, France 4 March 1981
Tecelli ArıReligion officer Paris, France
Mehmet Savaş YergüçSecretary Geneva, Switzerland 9 June 1981
Erkut Akbay Administrative attaché Lisbon, Portugal 7 June 1982 [31]
Bora SüelkanAdministrative attaché Burgas, Bulgaria 9 September 1982
Dursun Aksoy Administrative attaché Brussels, Belgium 14 July 1983 [32] [33] [34]
Erdoğan ÖzenLabour attaché Vienna, Austria 20 June 1984
Evner ErgunUnited Nations officer Vienna, Austria 19 November 1984

List of family members

IndividualRelationDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.
Necla KuneralpSpouse of incumbent ambassador Madrid, Spain 2 June 1978 [18]
Ahmet Benler Son of incumbent ambassador The Hague, Netherlands 12 October 1979 [35]
Neslihan Özmen Daughter of incumbent administrative attaché Athens, Greece 31 July 1980 [28] [29] [30]
Nadide Akbay Spouse of incumbent administrative attaché Lisbon, Portugal 11 January 1983 [36]
Cahide Mıhçıoğlu Spouse of incumbent charge d'affaires Lisbon, Portugal 27 July 1983 [37]
Işık YönderSpouse of a secretary Tehran, Iran 28 April 1984 [38]

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

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Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a militant organization active between 1975 and the 1990s whose stated goal was "to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its responsibility for the Armenian genocide in 1915, pay reparations, and cede territory for an Armenian homeland." ASALA itself and other sources described it as a guerilla and armed organization. Some sources, including the United States Department of State, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan listed it as a terrorist organization.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Ahmet Benler</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa</span> 1985 attack on the Turkish embassy, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">İsmail Erez</span> Turkish diplomat

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The assassination of Taha Carım, a Turkish diplomat and ambassador to the Holy See, took place on 9 June 1977 in Rome, Italy.

Galip Ozmen was the Administrative Attaché of Turkish Embassy in Greece and Turkish intelligence (MIT) agent, who was assassinated in Athens on 31 July 1980 by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA). An Armenian gunman attacked Galip Ozmen, 45, and his family as they were waiting in their automobile in the Pangrati area of Athens. Galip Ozmen was killed and his fourteen-year-old daughter, Neslihan Ozmen, later died of her wounds. His wife, Sevil Ozmen, and his sixteen-year-old son, Kaan Ozmen, were seriously wounded, but survived.

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References

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