Background
General Eşref Bitlis was Commander of the Gendarmerie in 1993. He was known for his views on counter-terrorism policy in the south-east and on the situation in northern Iraq. His name is often mentioned alongside several other prominent figures who died the same year (Uğur Mumcu, Adnan Kahveci, Turgut Özal), which is why 1993 is remembered in Turkey as a ‘dark year’.
What happened
On 17 February 1993 Bitlis took off from Güvercinlik in Ankara bound for Diyarbakır aboard a Beechcraft Super King Air B200. Shortly after take-off the aircraft crashed into the grounds of the Yenimahalle Post Office Processing Center. Bitlis and the other military personnel on board died; a security guard on the ground later died as well.
Investigation and where it stands
The General Staff announced the next day that the crash was caused by icing and pilot error. The Land Forces Military Prosecutor’s Office reached the same conclusion and issued a decision of no grounds for prosecution on 5 May 1993.
Bitlis’s associates and some circles argue it was an assassination, but the authorities have produced no concrete evidence of sabotage. The debate continues with differing interpretations, and Bitlis is commemorated each 17 February.