The "23s Incident" in Kurdish History: Enver Aytekin and Fetullah Kakioğlu

(NOTE: I dedicate this article to the cherished memories of my uncle, Fetullah Kakioğlu, and his inseparable friend, the esteemed Enver Aytekin.)

From time to time, I like to look back. Events, people, cities, and countries pass before my eyes.

It was one such day. With my arms clasped behind my head, I lay on my bed, witnessing silhouettes, conversations, and events, some vague, some clear, flowing like a film reel. My cat, Bıcık, nestled against my leg, purring sweetly, had fallen into a deep sleep.

My mind fixated on my first days in Istanbul:

It was the last days of August 1973. The bus we boarded in Iğdır, my sister Süheyla Ablam and I, finally arrived in Istanbul after a three-day journey. Since the Bosphorus Bridge had not yet been opened, our bus settled onto a car ferry at Harem to cross the Istanbul Strait. Like the other passengers, I got off the bus and gazed at the sea and the distant Istanbul skyline from the edge of the ferry. I was going to attend high school in this city.

Süheyla Ablam, interestingly, was going to prepare for university exams at Bilgi Dershanesi, owned by Veli Orkun, who once served as the principal of Iğdır Middle School and authored Iğdır's first book, "Sürmeli Çukuru, Iğdır Tarih ve Coğrafyası" (1955).

KABATAŞ BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL

I attended Kabataş Boys' High School as a boarding student between 1973 and 1976. Coming from the easternmost tip of Turkey, Iğdır, to Istanbul was already a huge change for a provincial child. Moreover, being a boarding student at Kabataş Boys' High School meant a rebellion against life, a breaking of darkness, and a form of resistance. Only those who dared, not just any family, would send their children to Kabataş. Although the language of instruction was Turkish, Kabataş Boys' High School was among the top five high schools in Turkey in those years; it was also unrivaled in discipline.

A group of friends at Kabataş Boys' High School: (Right to left) Kazım Devranoğlu, Mücahit Özden Hun, and Gündüz Dirhem

Kabataş Boys' High School is meticulously situated in one of the most beautiful spots on the Bosphorus. From the outside, its view is truly dazzling and impressive. Its magnificent architecture initially evokes the feeling of a pleasure-seeker, lounging on a deckchair facing the sea, enjoying life.

Kabataş Boys' High School is like a colossal chemistry laboratory: all values meet there, mix with each other, everything analyzes and separates, everything synthesizes and integrates.

Some architects from the Armenian Balyan family, who completed the Çırağan Palace, this time built the Feriye Palaces, meaning "Secondary," along the coastline up to the Ortaköy Mosque. Kabataş Boys' High School is built on several of these palace buildings.

When the Bosphorus Bridge was ceremonially opened on October 30, 1973, on the 50th anniversary of the Republic, the view from the high school became even more beautiful. The splendor of the Bosphorus Bridge was fully visible from the dormitories or classrooms. But to be honest, for us students struggling with a heavy curriculum, these beauties often meant little.

The high school had a strict disciplinary approach that continued from the Ottoman era. Kabataş Boys' High School is like a lover who is difficult to live with but missed when apart.

ENVER AYTEKİN'S TWO SECRETS

My uncle's house was in Çemberlitaş. My aunt Meral Hanım was the director of the Çemberlitaş Girls' Dormitory. My uncle lived in a lodge attached to the dormitory building, at the back.

My uncle had a small printing shop on the first floor of Nuruosmaniye Street in the Cağaloğlu district. His partner's name was Hayrettin Yılmaz. He earned his living by printing business cards, invoices, etc., at the printing house he established under the name KA-YI Matbaacılık, combining the first two letters of their surnames. There were a few weeks left until high school opened. I never left my uncle's side at the printing shop.

My uncle would always manage to visit Enver Aytekin in the afternoons. Of course, in those years, I had no information about either my uncle's or Enver Aytekin's past. "Sosyal Yayınlar" (Social Publications), if I'm not mistaken, was somewhere across from Çemberlitaş Girls' High School (Cağaloğlu Anatolian High School).

Enver Aytekin's office was crammed with books. The desk was also covered with piles of books. Enver Aytekin would settle into his armchair with his ever-present pipe, address my uncle as "Feto" in a thoughtful and grave tone, and confide in him. Enver Aytekin was 9-10 years older than my uncle. My uncle would respectfully reply, "Enver Abi."

***

Soon after, high school opened, and classes began. Since I was a permanent boarding student, our laundry would be washed in the school's laundry room. My Aunt Meral was tired of embroidering my name on my underwear and socks.

There was a close friendship between Kabataş Boys' High School Principal Adnan Dinçer and my uncle, as my uncle had once been a Geography teacher at Çankırı High School. My uncle was my guardian. On the day school opened, my uncle came to the high school with Enver Aytekin. They were going to pay a courtesy visit to the principal. If I remember correctly, some of Enver Aytekin's relatives had also graduated from Kabataş Boys' High School, so he had a friendship with the Principal. (Adnan Dinçer served as Principal of Kabataş Boys' High School between 1958 and 1974.)

We all went up to the principal's office on the upper floor. After a brief pleasant chat, we left the room.

As we descended the stairs, Enver Aytekin took a deep puff from his pipe and leaned towards me:

"Nephew, I'm going to tell you two secrets, but keep them between us."

I thought Enver Aytekin was going to share some secret information about the principal. Enver Aytekin continued:

"You know the principal's office we just entered? Well, right in that room, Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz either committed suicide or was strangled to death."

Honestly, I was startled. I found it hard to believe Enver Aytekin. In later years, I would realize it was true.

Enver Aytekin continued:

"The second thing is that the purpose of establishing Kabataş Boys' High School during the Ottoman period was to bring the children of Kurdish aghas and beys to Istanbul and help them get an education, thereby making the Kurds loyal to the Ottoman State. The school's first name was Aşiret Mektebi (Tribal School). It was in the Kabataş district. The first Kurdish graduate of this school was Cibranlı Halit Bey. He is also related to your uncle on your mother's side."

Cibranlı Halit Bey was from Hınıs. My uncle's maternal grandmother, Asiye Hanım, was Cibranlı Halit Bey's first cousin. Cibranlı Halit Bey, while serving as a Colonel in Erzurum, would establish a secret organization named Azadî, which would play a role in the outbreak of the Sheikh Said Rebellion (1925). Colonel Cibranlı Halit Bey would be arrested, taken from Erzurum to Bitlis, and executed.

***

During my high school years, whenever I had the chance, I would visit Enver Aytekin's office with my uncle. Many famous writers whose names I had heard or whose books I had read would stop by Enver Aytekin's office, drink tea or coffee, and chat.

I was a successful student in my first year of high school. The only subject I struggled with was Composition. Our Composition and Literature teacher was named Recep Usta, and his mustache curled upwards like the mustache of Ömer Seyfettin, who once served as a Literature Teacher at Kabataş Boys' High School and whose bust stands at the entrance of our high school. Perhaps he imagined himself as the second "Ömer Seyfettin."

Recep Usta was not a successful teacher. He hadn't said a single word about what composition was or how to write it. The only thing he knew was to write a proverb on the blackboard and ask us to write a composition about it.

However, there was a Literature teacher at school, Oktay Tuncer, who was constantly talked about and respected by the students. I kept praying to myself, "I hope he becomes our teacher next year."

I was getting high grades in Literature, but I was annoyed by constantly getting a "4" in Composition. The reason Recep Usta gave me a "4" was my use of local dialect words from the Iğdır region in my composition exams, such as "kartol" instead of "patates" (potato) and "bibi" instead of "hala" (aunt). At the end of the year, I was left with a "4" only in Composition, requiring a make-up exam. In those years, the passing grade was "5." I would have to come to Istanbul from Iğdır for the make-up exam in July.

(Note: Germans call potatoes Kartoffel. Russians also use this word as it is, calling it картофель (kartofel). This word passes from Russian to the peoples of the South Caucasus. In Azerbaijani, it becomes kartof, and in Kurdish, kartol.)

I was upset. Before returning to Iğdır, my uncle and I went to Enver Aytekin's office. When Enver Aytekin learned that I had passed all my other subjects with high grades and only barely failed Composition, he picked up the phone and spoke to someone. Soon after, the collected works of Sait Faik Abasıyanık and Ömer Seyfettin, published by Bilgi Yayınevi, were placed on Enver Aytekin's desk.

Enver Aytekin, with a serious and thoughtful demeanor, his sparkling blue eyes hidden behind his glasses, advised me:

"Son! Read these books! Sait Faik Abasıyanık and Ömer Seyfettin are pioneers of modern Turkish short story writing. They describe nature and people simply, sincerely, with their good and bad sides, as they are, but also in a poetic and masterful language. Also, regularly read Şevket Rado in Hayat Mecmuası. He is the best essayist. My advice to you is to copy Şevket Rado's column into a notebook. This will also develop your writing skills."

Enver Aytekin's words were a great morale boost for me. When I returned to Iğdır, I was both mowing hay with a Lombardini brand mower and enjoying reading the books. It was July. I set off for Istanbul to take the make-up exam. When the bus departed, the First Cyprus Operation (July 20, 1974) had also begun. Due to the news about the war, I didn't feel how the long journey passed.

I got a good grade on the Composition exam and earned the right to continue to the second year. Although that year, a rule of "passing with debt in one subject" had also come into effect.

One day, my uncle and I stopped by Enver Aytekin's again.

When we entered the office, Enver Aytekin, who was always mild-mannered and quiet, was addressing someone sitting opposite him in an angry tone:

"What kind of translation is this? Is this how Faust is translated? Is the crown jewel of world literature translated like this?"

The person opposite him was embarrassed and silent. Enver Aytekin continued:

"İsmet, translate it again. Don't rush, work on it! Don't worry! I will pay a good fee. Just bring me a translation that is faithful to its literary essence!"

So, the gentleman was a translator. The gentleman, whose name I would later learn was İsmet Zeki Eyüpoğlu, quietly stood up, gathered the papers on the table, and left.

When Enver Aytekin saw my uncle, his facial muscles relaxed. While drinking tea, he shared his distress:

"Feto, there's no one who can properly translate Faust, one of the most important works of world literature! I guess they don't understand the author's spirit. They bring me simple translations. I'm going to explode!"

The famous work Faust by the German writer Goethe was also in my father's library. I had tried to read it once, but I had put it aside after a few pages because I didn't enjoy it, or perhaps didn't understand it. Enver Aytekin's words at that moment were like medicine for my soul. So, I wasn't the only one who didn't understand Faust; the huge Sosyal Yayınlar was struggling to find someone who could properly understand and translate Faust.

My uncle was right in the middle of the literary world, but he didn't have a habit of reading books. My uncle asked Enver Aytekin the question I had asked myself during my middle school years:

"Enver Abi, what is Faust about?"

Enver Aytekin puffed on his pipe, taking a deep breath:

"It's an allegorical book. An alchemist (people eager to obtain gold from minerals in the Middle Ages) sells his soul to the devil named Mephistopheles to gain magical powers and learn the unknown. The author (Goethe), in this book, expresses the moral, artistic, and philosophical questions of the era that bothered him, using symbols and a poetic language. The book summarizes and presents the tragedy of humanity. The author completed this book in 57 years. I'm having trouble finding someone who can understand the author's spirit and translate it into Turkish."

Enver Aytekin was a literary expert. His words carried seriousness and weight.

***

After graduating from ITU Electrical-Electronics Faculty and settling in Europe (1984), my ties with my uncle were, in a sense, severed. It was the summer of 1991. I was working in Paris. One evening, I received a call from my uncle. He had a request. He wanted me to deliver the books he would send me to the French Kurdologist Ms. Joyce Blau. Joyce Blau was also a member of the Kurdish Institute of Paris.

The package my uncle sent reached me a few weeks later. It was a four-language dictionary (May 1991) published by Sosyal Yayınlar. Joyce Blau had prepared this dictionary in Kurdish-French-English and published it in France. My uncle had somehow obtained this book, had it typeset again, and republished the same book as a four-language edition by adding its Turkish version. He couldn't predict her reaction because he hadn't obtained permission from Joyce Blau. Therefore, my uncle found it appropriate to deliver the book to Joyce Blau through me.

My uncle's only wish was to diplomatically balance Joyce Blau's potential reaction, which might have been, "How dare you publish my book without my permission?"

We arranged a meeting with Joyce Blau at the Kurdish Institute of Paris. When she saw the books, she was both surprised and delighted:

"Finally, my books have met Kurdistan. It seems there are brave publishers after all," she said.

***

Years passed. I returned to Turkey. It was only when I started working on my four-volume book series titled "Kürtler ve Güller" (Kurds and Roses) that I had the chance to question and understand the past of my uncle Fetullah Kakioğlu and Enver Aytekin.

WHO IS ENVER AYTEKİN?

Enver Aytekin was born in Siirt in 1927. He completed primary and secondary school in Siirt and high school in Diyarbakır. The difficulties and loneliness of his high school years left a deep impact on him.

His writing talent began at an early age. Articles he wrote during his high school years were published in a local newspaper in Siirt called CUMHURCU. He analyzed the social and economic problems of Siirt from his own perspective. In 1945, he was interrogated by the police for an article he wrote about land reform. The responsible editor of the newspaper respectfully referred to the high school student Enver Aytekin as an "erbab-ı kalem," meaning "writer," due to the power of his pen.

Enver Aytekin came to Istanbul for his university education. He enrolled in the Faculty of Law. He was a successful student. He became a member of the Istanbul Higher Education Association. His articles were published in the association's publication, HÜR GENÇLİK.

Enver Aytekin progressed without difficulty until the last course of his final year. He got married. For unknown reasons, Enver Aytekin could not graduate from the Faculty of Law because he did not pass the last course.

In those years, Enver Aytekin was a regular at the Adliye Kıraathanesi (Courthouse Coffeehouse), located right next to the Courthouse Building in Çemberlitaş. He would read newspapers and discuss various topics with his friends. In short, the Adliye Kıraathanesi was like a cultural center. Another place Enver Aytekin frequented was the Eminönü Halkevi Library. This library was closed by the Menderes government because scientific and political speeches were held in the Halkevi's conference hall.

Enver Aytekin was a regular at the University Library next to Istanbul University, the Municipal Library in Beyazıt, and the Beyazıt State Library. He had the chance to meet famous writers, poets, and thinkers of the period.

Enver Aytekin was a book lover. He read constantly. He was saddened by the scarcity of published books on psychology, sociology, art history, mythology, dictionaries, literature, and philosophy.

In 1945-46, 15 parties were established in Turkey. One of them was the Türkiye Sosyalist Emekçi ve Köylü Partisi (TSEKP - Turkish Socialist Workers' and Peasants' Party), founded on June 20, 1946, by cadres of the illegal Communist Party of Turkey. The 19-year-old law student Enver Aytekin also became a member of this party. However, the party's life was not long. On December 16, 1946, it was closed by the Martial Law Command on the grounds that it was "founded and managed by individuals with communist ideals." Its executives and Enver Aytekin were detained. One of his friends in prison was Aziz Nesin. (The party also had a magazine called YIĞIN, which was published six times between October 1, 1946, and December 15, 1946.)

In 1950, Enver Aytekin attended a meeting held at the ÇİÇEK PALAS in Laleli to commemorate Nâzım Hikmet. There was a provocation. Incidents broke out. Eight young members of the Istanbul Higher Education Association were arrested. Enver Aytekin was one of them. For this reason, he remained in prison for six months.

Aziz Nesin and Kemal Tahir founded the DÜŞÜN publishing house in 1957. Enver Aytekin also joined this group. Enver Aytekin had the chance to meet famous writers of the period.

Enver Aytekin felt close to the French school of thought and system. There was a publishing house in France called "Edition Social." Influenced by this name, Enver Aytekin founded "Sosyal Yayınları" (Social Publications) in 1962.

Enver Aytekin was no ordinary person. He had introduced dozens of valuable writers to Turkish Literature. He was the first to bring Marxist classics to Turkish readers. In the General Elections of 1965, he ran as a candidate for TİP (Workers' Party of Turkey) and received the highest number of votes in Siirt. In those years, a proportional representation system called Milli Bakiye was in practice in Turkey. Enver Bey, not refusing the suggestion of TİP General Chairman Mehmet Ali Aybar, later renounced his parliamentary seat in favor of Behice Boran, who would become known as the most mature female politician in Turkish politics in later years.

Enver Aytekin passed away on December 27, 1999, at the age of 72, succumbing to liver cancer. He was buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery. I commemorate this great intellectual, the heroic son of Siirt, with mercy and respect. His daughter, Ms. Zeynep, continues Sosyal Yayınlar under new conditions, remaining faithful to her father's spiritual legacy.

WHO IS FETULLAH KAKİOĞLU?

Fetullah Kakioğlu's relatives on his mother's side: Küçükçekmece Mayor (1989-94) Ertuğrul Tığlay and famous director İrfan Tözüm

My uncle Fetullah Kakioğlu was born in Erzurum on April 25, 1936. His father's name was Mehmet, and his mother's name was Zinnet. He belonged to a family of five siblings, four of whom were girls. His paternal family was a Turkish family that came from Bukhara and settled in Bitlis. Zinnet Hanım was the daughter of Emin Bey, the grandson of Molla Mustafa, the qadi of Ahlat. Emin Bey was a Census Officer.

Mehmet Kakioğlu and his uncle Davut Ağa were engaged in trade in Erzurum. Since Reşit Keki's mother, one of Eastern Anatolia's famous merchants, was also from Bitlis, they had a friendly relationship. These were the years when Iğdır gained importance. Trade was conducted with the Soviet Union via the Malkara (Alican) bridge. Livestock was exported from Turkey, and sugar, fabric, and other products were imported in return.

The wealthy merchants of Eastern Anatolia had a foothold in Iğdır. Among them were names like Reşit Keki, İsmail Şefkatli, Halef Boran, and Cevdet Ergin (father of artist Erol Evgin). Reşit Keki persuaded Mehmet Kakioğlu to settle in Iğdır: "The state is giving houses and plots vacated by Armenians as settlement rights, and border trade is very profitable," he said. So, Mehmet Kakioğlu took his family and settled in Iğdır in 1937. Fetullah Kakioğlu was one year old.

Mehmet Kakioğlu engaged in border trade for a while. When the Malkara (Alican) border gate closed, he then operated a coffeehouse. The merchants who had settled in Iğdır for border trade gradually left Iğdır.

İsmail Şefkatli ventured into cotton trade. Cotton production was increasing in Iğdır. There were five ginning (separating cotton fiber from its seeds) factories of various sizes already in operation, but they were far from meeting the demand. One day, frustrated by waiting in line at Resul Taner's ginning factory, İsmail Şefkatli decided to open a ginning factory in Iğdır. He shared his idea with Mehmet Kakioğlu. Mehmet Kakioğlu was not enthusiastic.

İsmail Şefkatli, in partnership with Halef Boran and Hacı Ömer Şark, opened the ginning factory in 1951. (NOTE: The first ginning factory in Iğdır was opened by Hacı Nağdali Parlar and Nağı Odoğlu in 1928-29. The factory was built on the plot behind today's Iğdır High School. A few years later, Resul Taner put the second ginning factory into service.)

Fetullah Kakioğlu completed primary and secondary school in Iğdır. His sister Muhsine Hanım's husband, police officer Mehmet Bey, was assigned to Zonguldak. Fetullah Kakioğlu started high school in Zonguldak. He graduated from Çankırı High School. He enrolled in the Istanbul Faculty of Economics. Most of his friends were students from Iğdır and Eastern Anatolia. In those years, hometown associations were popular. Young people from the East would gather in certain coffeehouses and local clubs to support each other and relieve their longing.

Fetullah Kakioğlu was arrested in the 23s Incident in 1963 and remained in prison for a year. After his release, he graduated from university. He completed his military service as an artilleryman. In 1966, he married Meral Özden Hanım.

He published a magazine called "Karma Ekonomi" (Mixed Economy). When he disagreed with his partners, he launched a second magazine called "Türkiye Konferanslar Dergisi" (Turkey Conferences Magazine). In later years, he started KAYI Matbaacılık (KAYI Printing).

Fetullah Kakioğlu passed away on June 24, 2016, at Private Maltepe Hospital due to multiple organ failure. He was buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery. I commemorate my uncle with mercy. May his soul rest in peace!

THE 49s INCIDENT/CASE

It all begins in Iraq. On July 14, 1958, General Abdülkerim staged a military coup, dethroning King Faisal and declaring a Republic.

Molla Mustafa Barzani, after the Mahabad Kurdish Republic was disbanded by Iranian military forces, sought asylum in the Soviet Union with his Peshmerga in 1946.

The balance of power in Iraq could change at any moment. General Abdülkerim's first move to win over the Kurds as allies was to invite Barzani to Iraq. He even promised autonomy to the Kurds, including Kirkuk.

On March 7, 1959, Arab General Sevaf launched an uprising against Abdülkerim in Mosul, but this uprising was suppressed by Mustafa Barzani and his Peshmerga. Two Turkmens died in the incident.

Events continued. Turkmen groups, disturbed by Kirkuk remaining within the promised Autonomous Region for Kurds and whose identity rights were not included in the Constitution, began resisting on July 14, 1959. Three days of clashes broke out in the streets of Kirkuk between soldiers loyal to General Abdülkerim, Peshmerga, and Turkmen groups. 25 Turkmens died.

Mustafa Barzani's gaining power in this way disturbed Turkey.

CHP Niğde Deputy, retired soldier Asım Eren, asked Prime Minister Adnan Menderes from the parliamentary rostrum: "Will you retaliate against the Kurds in Turkey for the oppression, persecution, or killings committed by Iraqi Kurds against our Turkmen kinsmen?"

According to allegations, President Celal Bayar made a suggestion:

"Let's hang 1000 Kurds in Taksim Square to set an example for the others."

Foreign Minister Fatih Rüştü Zorlu objected:

"Turkey's international reputation is already bad due to the Armenian issue and the September 6-7 attacks against the Greeks; let's not add the Kurds to this."

Upon this, a 'more acceptable (!)' plan was put into action.

Immediately after the Mosul incident, the government tried to instill anti-Kurdish sentiment in public opinion through the press. The Akşam newspaper announced on its front page on April 15, 1959: "102 university students claimed Kurdish identity."

According to the news, Kurdish students, reacting to Asım Eren, sent a telegram condemning the incident to the Prime Minister, President, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Diyarbakır Bar Association President, and the Embassies of countries such as the USA, Germany, Italy, France, and England. They signed the telegram as "Kurds of Turkey."

This situation caused great discomfort in the government. This telegram also signified that Kurdish nationalists, who had been silent since the 1938 Dersim Resistance, had decided to shake off their inertia. The government obtained a court order to ban all publications "on the subject of Kurdish nationalism."

Soon after, a second crisis erupted. This time, Musa Anter's satirical column "Amma Ne İleri Yurt" (What an Advanced Homeland) published in the Diyarbakır-based İleri Yurt newspaper on August 31, 1959, brought the poem Kımıl (Qimil) to the agenda. The "Kımıl" that gave the poem its title is the name of a grain pest beetle.

The subject of the poem is as follows: A girl from Siverek takes a bag of wheat, turned into straw by the kımıl pest (beetle), to a peddler. When the peddler sees that the wheat is useless, he says he cannot give goods in exchange for it. The girl, as has been the tradition for centuries, expresses her sadness with a folk song:

Bi çîya ketim lo apo, çîya melûlbûn rebeno

Ceh seridî lo apo, genim hûrbûn êvdalo

Qimil hatî lo apo, bi refa ye rebeno

Xwar genimî lo apo, hiştî qâye rebeno

I climbed the mountain, uncle, the poor mountain became sad

The barley ripened, uncle, the wheat crumbled, poor thing

The kımıl came, uncle, in droves, poor thing

It ate the wheat, uncle, left the straw, poor thing

The most important part of the poem is the last section: "Don't be sad, my sister, your brothers are coming to save you from the harm of kımıl, sunn pest, and exploiters."

This metaphorical expression at the end of the poem was perceived by Ankara as a harbinger of a Kurdish Rebellion. A lawsuit was filed against the İleri Yurt newspaper and Musa Anter.

The court day arrived. Lawyers from other provinces took over the defense. The area in front of the courthouse turned into a rally ground. Kurdish high school and university students in Ankara and Istanbul eagerly followed the case.

The government prepared a Kurdish Report and decided on a list of 50 people to be executed. Arrests began on December 17, 1959. Ziya Şerefhanoğlu, an independent deputy from Bitlis, was among those arrested. Mehmet Emin Batu, one of the students, died of a stomach hemorrhage in his cell. Since 49 people remained, this event went down in history as the "49s."

Then came the May 27, 1960 Military Coup. The detainees hoped they would be released, but they were mistaken. No lawyer dared to defend the detainees, except for Medet Serhat's lawyer (later his wife) Seniha Hanım and retired judge Turan Ayata, who defended Ali Karahan.

After 14 months of detention, the trial began on January 3, 1961. Some of the defendants were acquitted in the first session. The remaining defendants were released pending trial (1962). Since there was no evidence, the defendants were acquitted on April 30, 1964.

Of those arrested in the 49s Incident, 24 were students. The rest were intellectuals such as lawyers, doctors, and engineers living in cities like Istanbul and Ankara. There was no organization or party behind the 49s Incident. It was an event that arose due to the government's officiousness. Nevertheless, the 49s Incident caused an awakening among Kurdish students and intellectuals, and important figures who would shape the Kurdish movement in later years emerged from among those arrested.

Enver Aytekin and Fetullah Kakioğlu were not among the 49s arrested in 1959, but they were on friendly terms with all of those arrested.

ESTABLISHMENT OF SOSYAL YAYINLAR

Enver Aytekin founded Sosyal Yayınlar in 1962. His aim was, on the one hand, to reintroduce the classics published by Hasan Âli Yücel to readers with more effective translations, and on the other hand, to publish fundamental Marxist classics. The first book he published in 1962 was John Strachy's "What is Socialism?".

Sosyal Yayınlar's sphere of influence quickly expanded. It became the second publishing house to print world classics for the first time since 1938. It published George Politzer's famous books "Principles of Philosophy" and "Fundamental Principles of Philosophy," which socialists never put down.

WORKERS' PARTY OF TURKEY (TİP)

12 union leaders came together to establish the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) on February 13, 1961. The party could not participate in the General Elections held on October 15, 1961. To gain strength and increase its influence in society, the party invited intellectuals to join in 1962. It was during this process that Mehmet Ali Aybar, Behice Boran, Adnan Cemgil, Fethi Naci, and Enver Aytekin joined the party. Mehmet Ali Aybar was elected General Chairman. A team, including Enver Aytekin, drafted the party program. The party also had a publication called "Sosyal Adalet" (Social Justice). Enver Aytekin's membership in TİP began in this way.

WHO IS "AHMET BOTANLI"?

When the Kurdish intellectuals arrested in the 49s Incident were released, they entered the publishing world. In 1962-63, three Kurmanji/Zazaki/Turkish magazines and newspapers were published. The state panicked. The three published magazines/newspapers were:

1. Dicle-Fırat (Kurmanji-Turkish) monthly magazine owned by Edip Karahan (Six issues were published/1962)
2. Deng (Kurmanji-Turkish) monthly magazine owned by Ergün Koyuncu (Two issues were published; the third issue was seized by the police at the printing house. 1963)
3. Roja Newe (Zazaki: New Day) newspaper owned by Doğan Kılıç Şıhhesananlı (Only one issue was published. 1963)

(Left to right) Deng Magazine, Dicle-Fırat Magazine, and Roja Newe Magazine

Enver Aytekin, under the pseudonym "Ahmet Botanlı," wrote an article titled "The Eastern Question." The police received a tip that this person was Enver Aytekin. For this reason, he was included in the 23s Case.

In the Dicle-Fırat Magazine, where important names like Sait Elçi, Sait Kırmızıtoprak, and Ahmet Aras also published articles, Enver Aytekin published an article titled "The Eastern Question" under the pseudonym "Ahmet Botanlı." Only a few people close to the newspaper management knew the identity of this pseudonym's owner.

In June 1963, the state launched an operation against the three newspapers/magazines. 23 people were detained. Among them were Enver Aytekin and my uncle Fetullah Kakioğlu. Many names arrested in the 49s Incident in 1959 were also included in this list.

NATIONAL TURKISH STUDENTS' UNION (MTTB) AND FETULLAH KAKİOĞLU

Founded in 1916, the MTTB represented Turkist, nationalist, and Atatürkist views until 1936. With multi-party politics, the union continued its Atatürkist-nationalist line from 1946 to 1965, and between 1960 and 1965, it occasionally showed tendencies towards leftist views. From 1960 until its closure in 1980, it adopted a political Islamist identity.

Fetullah Kakioğlu served as a board member of the MTTB in the 1959 elections. He continued his duty at the MTTB between October 31, 1959, and April 1961. The General Chairman of the MTTB at that time was Yaşar Özdemir.

Other members were as follows:

Second Chairman: Beşir Hamidi

General Secretary: Hüseyin Sağıroğlu

General Treasurer: Yüksel Çengel, Teoman Dikmen

Istanbul Executive Council Chairman: Selim Şenay, Mete Akıncı, Ersin Ertekin

Ankara Executive Council Chairman: Erkan Okan, Kemal Kumkumoğlu

Turgut Özdemir

High Supervisory Board: Nedret Yalçı, Cengiz Şener, Cafer Karadağ

BOARD MEMBERS

1. Yaşar Özdemir
2. Beşir Hamidi
3. Hüseyin Sağıroğlu
4. Yüksel Çengel
5. Erdem Okan
6. Kemal Kumkumoğlu
7. Bülent Savaş
8. Naim Pembegül
9. Bedii Erdoğan
10. Oktay Evinç
11. Erhan Okan
12. Çetin Altınöz
13. Erdem Anıl
14. Mehmet Ayhan
15. Ersin Ertekin
16. Hamdi Çiğdem
17. Aydın Kumru
18. FETULLAH KAKİOĞLU
19. Cezmi Akıncı
20. Abdullah Koçak
21. Süleyman Bek Karayazılı
22. Ali Rıza Olcayto
23. Yaşar Bayındır
24. İsmet Bayındır
25. Selim Şenay
26. Öznur Tekin
27. Hülagü Bağcılar
28. Mete Akıncı
29. Orhan Gama
30. Naci Mısırlıoğlu
31. Hüseyin Gemici

Alparslan Türkeş is, in a sense, the de facto leader of the May 27 Coup. He is the person who read the coup declaration on the radio on the morning of May 27, 1960. After this, his name began to be heard frequently. However, a disagreement emerged within the National Unity Committee (MBK). MBK Chairman General Cemal Gürsel retired a group of officers, including Türkeş. Türkeş was sent to India as an embassy counselor in New Delhi on November 19, 1960.

In short, Alparslan Türkeş was at the helm as a prominent figure of the coup between May 27, 1960, and November 19, 1960. It was at such a time that MTTB members, including Fetullah Kakioğlu, paid a courtesy visit to Alparslan Türkeş. During this time, the 49s were imprisoned. The trial of the 49s began on January 3, 1961. Considering these dates, we understand that Fetullah Kakioğlu was not arrested in the 49s Case; he was free.

In the MTTB Congress held in April 1961, Fetullah Kakioğlu was not included in the new administration. Soon after, he was elected President of the Istanbul Faculty of Economics Student Association.

ATTACKS ON THE WORKERS' PARTY OF TURKEY

With Mehmet Ali Aybar's election as general chairman, TİP, which was virtually reborn, expanded its sphere of influence while also becoming a target for right-wing groups. TİP meetings began to be attacked. Furthermore, TİP was accused of communist propaganda. The Anti-Communism Association, which elected President Cemal Gürsel as its honorary president, played a leading role in the attacks against TİP. On November 11, 1962, a meeting organized by the Workers' Party of Turkey in Beyaz Saray, Beyazıt, Istanbul, was raided, and a leaflet titled "Who is Aybar, the General Chairman of TİP?" containing statements against TİP General Chairman Mehmet Ali Aybar was distributed. This attack drew a reaction from young people. Fethullah Kakioğlu, President of the Faculty of Economics Student Association, condemned the attack on TİP with these words:

"It should be clearly known that Turkish youth are against fascism and are determined to remove it. It is difficult to imagine any connection between the skull-faced mob, acting on the publication of Gökhan Evliyaoğlu, whose ideas do not even align with his brother Kamuran Evliyaoğlu, and the youth, let alone the modest Turkish people. We are against fascism with all our being. The real cause of the country's unrest is just emerging."

US VICE PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON'S VISIT TO TURKEY (AUGUST 26-30, 1962)

US Vice President Lyndon Johnson paid an official visit to Turkey between August 26-30, 1962. The main purpose of the trip, planned within the scope of a "goodwill ambassador" mission and covering 5 other countries besides Turkey, was to support allied countries against the expanding influence of the Soviet Union (USSR).

Fetullah Kakioğlu, in his capacity as President of the Faculty of Economics Student Association, had the chance to meet Lyndon Johnson.

Fetullah Kakioğlu, President of the Faculty of Economics Student Association (far left), with US Vice President Lyndon Johnson (1962)

TALAT AYDEMİR'S MILITARY COUP AND THE 23s

In the months following the October 13, 1961 elections, unrest began to emerge within the army. When Prime Minister İnönü intervened with appointments and arrests, Talat Aydemir staged a coup on February 22, 1962, with the participation of some military units in Ankara. However, the army sided with İsmet İnönü. Aydemir, left alone, surrendered. Aydemir was arrested on July 9, 1962, but was released on July 18.

Talat Aydemir did not give up on his coup project. On May 20, 1963, he made a second coup attempt with the participation of the War Academy. This attempt was also suppressed by İnönü's resistance. Talat Aydemir was tried and executed on July 5, 1964.

In the days following Talat Aydemir's second coup, martial law was declared in Ankara and Istanbul. The government took advantage of the situation, closing the Kurmanji and Zazaki newspapers it had been closely monitoring and was disturbed by in June 1963, and launched a widespread arrest campaign among Kurdish intellectuals. Fourteen of those arrested were Turkish students and intellectuals, and nine were Iraqi Kurdish students. Among those arrested were Enver Aytekin and Fetullah Kakioğlu.

They first took the arrested to the dungeons beneath the Istanbul Harbiye Building. They stayed there for ten days. From there, they were transferred to the Balmumcu Garrison. They were held there for about 2-3 months. Enver Aytekin was specifically taken and interrogated at Ziverbey Mansion. They had only one question: "Who is Ahmet Botanlı?"

Apparently, someone who worked at the same newspaper had told them that the person writing under the pseudonym Ahmet Botanlı was Enver Aytekin. The Kurdish intellectuals in the writing staff of Dicle-Fırat magazine included Edip Karahan, Dr. Sait Kırmızıtoprak, Musa Anter, Yaşar Kaya, Edip Osmanoğlu, Sait Elçi, Ahmet Aras, Hüseyin Sağnıç, and others... Who was the agent?

The 23s were later transported from Istanbul to Ankara by cargo plane. They were first taken to the Armored Forces Unit, and from there to the Mamak Language and Intelligence School. In the adjacent ward, coup leader Talat Aydemir and his friends were imprisoned.

Fetullah Kakioğlu met Lieutenant Colonel Asım Özden, one of Talat Aydemir's friends, and a friendship developed between them. Time passed. Fetullah Kakioğlu was released. Lieutenant Colonel Asım Özden was also retired. He, too, was released. Their friendship continued in Istanbul. As fate would have it, Fetullah Kakioğlu would marry Meral Hanım, the daughter of his prison friend Lieutenant Colonel Asım Özden, and they would have two children named Mehmet Kaan and Dilan.

LIST OF THE 23 ARRESTED

CRIME ATTRIBUTED TO ENVER AYTEKİN

Enver Aytekin was actually arrested for an article he wrote under the pseudonym "Ahmet Botanlı" in Dicle-Fırat Magazine. There was a tip-off, but no evidence.

CRIME ATTRIBUTED TO FETULLAH KAKİOĞLU

WHO IS YASİN GÜLTAŞ?

Yasin Gültaş is an intelligence agent who infiltrated the ranks of young people from the East. The report he prepared about Fetullah Kakioğlu was put into practice during the June 1963 arrests.

Yasin Gültaş and his connections were exposed by the late journalist Uğur Mumcu in an article he wrote ten days before his assassination. (January 24 marks the anniversary of Uğur Mumcu's assassination. I commemorate this brave and principled journalist with mercy.)

I am including the introductory part of this article as it is:

UĞUR MUMCU'S CRITICAL "DRUG" ARTICLE WRITTEN ON JANUARY 13, 1993:

"Yaşar Kaya, the concessionaire of Özgür Gündem newspaper, chemical substance marketer, businessman, and Kurdish nationalist, is once again trying to smear Cumhuriyet newspaper by mixing 'chaff with grain.'

Recently, he confused the court members who heard the Sheikh Said rebellion case. Now he is confusing the February 22, 1962, and May 20, 1963, coup attempts with the March 9-12 events. Just as he confuses Kurdish nationalism with leftism, and leftism with racism... Kaya's mind is more confused than the Cudi Mountains.

When Yaşar Kaya, in his letter to the Diyarbakır Mayor, opposed giving honorary citizenship to Prime Minister Adnan Menderes while Kurdish issues were being discussed, which leftist or Marxist principle was he fulfilling? What he was doing was outright Kurdish nationalism. Why is Kaya ashamed of Kurdish nationalism?

His relationship with an agent named YASİN GÜLTAŞ before 1960 has been proven by his own statements and court decisions. (General Staff Military Court's reasoned decision dated September 24, 1965, with file number 1965/14). If Yaşar Kaya accepts this as a 'medal of honor,' it means he deserves other medals as well. (...)"