Hıdır Aslan

Who was Hıdır Aslan?

Hıdır Aslan was a Turkish rebel, a member of a left wing militia. He was convicted of aggravated murder, sentenced to death and executed by hanging.

He was born 1958 in Hozat, Tunceli Province. Due to his success at the secondary school in his hometown, he was sent to Ankara for high school. He got interested in politics during his high school years. For his participation in a political incident, he was tried and prisoned for seven months. In 1978, he moved to Izmir, where he was involved in armed actions of Devrimci Yol, an illegal Marxist-Leninist movement.

Hıdır Aslan was arrested on February 26, 1980 in Izmir after a police chase and put in prison in Buca. He was accused of murdering three law enforcement officers. Following trials lasting for four years, he was charged with death penalty along with two other comrades. He was hanged on October 25, 1984 in the prison of Burdur. Officially, it was stated that he was not executed due to his political allegiance, but for his crime of terror and murder.

He became the last person in Turkey to be executed for death penalty. Turkish Grand National Assembly suspended all death penalty cases for approval after his execution. In conformity with European Convention on Human Rights, the parliament enacted on August 3, 2002 abolishment of the death penalty in all instances, including wartime.