TOKAT — 1972 · Major Tragedy
The Kızıldere Incident
On 26 March 1972 Mahir Çayan and his comrades kidnapped three foreign technicians working at the NATO radar base in Ünye. The group demanded that the death sentences passed on Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan not be carried out. Searches around Fatsa, Ünye and Niksar revealed that the group was hiding in the village headman's house in Kızıldere, a village of Niksar. Security forces surrounded the village, calls to surrender were refused, and in the clash on 30 March 1972 Çayan and nine of his comrades were killed. The three hostages were also killed by members of the group. Only Ertuğrul Kürkçü was captured alive. The incident remains one of the most debated events of the period after the 1971 military memorandum. Kızıldere today lies within Ataköy, a town in Almus district.
- Date
- 1972
- Place
- Niksar (today Ataköy, Almus), Tokat
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 40.4480, 36.9150 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 26 March 1972Three technicians from the Ünye radar base kidnapped
- March 1972Group takes refuge in the headman's house in Kızıldere, which is surrounded
- 30 March 197210 group members and 3 hostages killed; Ertuğrul Kürkçü captured alive
Sources
- Vikipedi — Kızıldere Olayı tr.wikipedia.org ↗
- bianet — Kızıldere Katliamı bianet.org ↗
- Wikipedia
- bianet
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.