Background
Cavit Orhan Tütengil was born in Tarsus in 1921. He was a professor of sociology at the Faculty of Economics of Istanbul University and also wrote for the newspaper Cumhuriyet. He was known for his work on village institutions, social structure and underdevelopment, and was an influential teacher of younger sociologists.
In the late 1970s political attacks on academics, journalists and trade unionists in Turkey were rising quickly, and universities were among the places affected by the tension.
In his work he dealt in particular with the transformation of village life and social structure in Turkey, and students and colleagues remember him for his scholarly rigour and sensitivity to social problems.
What happened
On the morning of 7 December 1979, Tütengil, aged 58, was walking from his home in the Levent district of Istanbul towards a bus stop to travel to the university when he was shot and killed. A note signed in the name of an organisation was found at the scene.
He was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. The killing had a strong impact in academic circles among the political murders of the period.
Residents of the neighbourhood became aware of the attack when they heard gunshots.
Investigation and trial
The killing did not lead to a court ruling in later years, and Tütengil's death is counted among Turkey's unresolved political murders. His family has publicly said that police records mention certain names in connection with the attack, but there is no conviction based on them and no one has been found responsible by a court.
The perpetrators and those who ordered the attack have therefore never been established in law. His family and the faculty community periodically call for the case to be looked at again.
The conditions of the time, including the escalating violence in the run-up to 12 September 1980 and the large number of similar files, are cited among the factors that made proper investigation difficult.
Legacy
Tütengil is commemorated each year on the anniversary of his death at his grave and at Istanbul University's Faculty of Economics. In 2020 graduates of the faculty held a commemoration marking the anniversary. His intellectual legacy lives on through his books and his students.