Suicide and Suspicious Deaths After Turkey’s Coup Attempt

Teacher Gokhan Acikkolu died in prison.

1. Non-commissioned officer Ferhat Daş
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: July 15, 2016

Non-commissioned officer Ferhat Daş, a tank commander, killed himself after confronted by people during coup attempt on July 15. People asked him who stood over a tank that whether he defines himself a patriot or a traitor. According to account of friends, Daş who told people that he was called by his superiors for a military training and had no idea about the putschists’ true intentions. He killed himself in front of his soldiers.

2. Hasan Hayri Alp.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: July 19, 2016.
Alp died of heart attack in Ankara’s Sincan prison.

3. Segvan Yaman.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: July 19, 2016.
Yaman committed suicide in Rize Kalkandere prison.

4. Lt. Col. Hasan Yucel
Cause of Death: Unknown, allegedly suicide
Date: July 20, 2016

On July 20, five days after the coup attempt, Lieutenant Colonel Hasan Yücel, commander of a battalion at the military headquarters, General Staff, in Ankara was said to shot himself at his room. Authorities said he was battling with depression after coup attempt. But his family dispute the official explanation.

5. District Governor Necmi Akman.
Cause of death: Suicide
Date: July 20, 2016
Akman shot himself in the head with his guard’s gun at his home in the Aegean province of Manisa. He was dismissed from his job in post-coup purge.

6. Deputy Police Chief Mutlu Cil.
Cause of Death: Unknown, allegedly suicide.
Date: July 20, 2016

Mutlu Çil, deputy police chief at a local police station in Ankara, was reported to kill himself after preparing a purge document about his superior at the office. The suicide on July 20 is among the suspicious ones.

7. Police Chief Muhammet Mertoğlu
Cause of Death: Unknown, allegedly suicide.
Date: July 22, 2016.
Mertoğlu was appointed to Ulus district in the northern city of Bartın, replacing another police chief dismissed over coup charges. When the police searched Mertoğlu’s new office, he allegedly yelled at them asking “Are you suspicious of me?” and killed himself at the scene.

8. Lt. Col. Levent Önder.
Cause of Death: Unknown, allegedly suicide
Date: July 22, 2016

Önder was acting Chief of Staff of the 3rd Commando Brigade Command in eastern province of Siirt, one of the country’s elite commando units when he allegedly killed himself. According to official account, he saw himself responsible for failing to prevent coup attempt in the province. But he was appointed to the post by authorities after Commander of the Brigade Col. Alican Erkilitlioğlu was arrested over coup charges. The official explanation contains contradictory elements

9. Police officer Halil Gök
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: July 22, 2016
Gök committed suicide in western province of Düzce after receiving the news that he was stripped off duty over his suspected link to the attempted coup.

10. Lt. Col. Ismail Çakmak
Cause of Death: Unknown, alleged suicide
Date: July 23, 2016
Çakmak allegedly hanged himself in his cell in Istanbul’s Silivri prison. He was charged over involvement in the coup attempt.

11. Police chief Mithat Aynaci.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: July 25, 2016.
Aynaci came into prominence after he was pulled out of a tank during the coup attempt. He alleged that he was fooled and put into the tank. He allegedly committed suicide ten days later.

12. Police officer Hidayet Meral.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: July 30, 2016
Hidayet Meral was a guard of Bartin’s Ulus district governor Selcuk Seker. Seker was already imprisoned. Deputy police chief of this district also committed suicide.

13. Vedat Savlu, businessman.
Cause of Death: Unknown, Suicide
Date: Aug. 2, 2016
Savlu was wanted for arrest. When police stormed his house to arrest him, he allegedly jumped from the balcony in İsparta.

14. Teacher Gokhan Acikkolu.
Cause of Death: Torture
Date: Aug. 5, 2016.
According to Acikkolu’s family, the teacher was suffering of diabetes when imprisoned. Mistreatment in the hospital exacerbated his health situation. Doctors turned him back when he demanded that he was too sick to return to the prison cell.

15. Police chief Ahmet Besli.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Aug. 10, 2016.
Besli reportedly shot himself in the head in the presence of other police officers, who were there to arrest him.

16. Correction officer Omer Cubuklu.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Sept. 2, 2016.
He was found hanged himself in his cell in Izmir prison. Cubuklu was arrested over the involvement in the attempted coup.

17. Mustafa Guneyler, teacher.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Sept. 2, 2016
After Guneyler was sacked from his school for allegedly supporting the coup, he allegedly got into depression and took his life in his home in Bilecik.

18. Bedih K.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Sept. 9, 2016.
He committed suicide in Mugla prison.

19. Prosecutor Seyfettin Yigit.
Cause of Death: Unknown, alleged suicide.
Date: Sept. 16, 2016.
Prosecutor allegedly hanged himself in the prison toilet. He was arrested in the aftermath of the coup attempt. His family disputes official explanation.

20. Teacher Ali Derebasi.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Sept. 19, 2016.
Derebasi hanged himself in his school in Kayseri. He reportedly got into depression after his wife, also a teacher, was sacked from her duty over suspected link to the coup attempt.

21. Ali Alp.
Cause of Death: Unknown.
Date: Sept. 21, 2016.
He was found dead in Sakran prison in Izmir.

22. Cegerxwin Akdeniz.
Cause of Death: Unknown.
Date: Sept. 28, 2016.
17 years old Akdeniz died in Sirnak prison.

23. Police officer Emrah Oguz.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Oct. 3, 2016.
Oguz shot himself to death in Bayburt after being purged from his position.

24. Seyit Riza Seran.
Cause of Death: Unknown, alleged torture.
Date: Oct. 3, 2016.
Family claims that Seran was hit in the back of his head in prison. Authorities claim that 18 years old Seran was killed during fire in Sirnak prison.

25. Adem Tiras, police officer.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Oct. 4, 2016.
After being purged from his job, 26 years old police officer shot himself in the head in a park in Mersin.

26. Sergeant Onder Irmak.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Oct. 10, 2016.
Irmak committed suicide while in custody. The sergeant, 39, allegedly consumed cleaning products in the restroom while in custody in Eskisehir.

27. Imam Hasan Tastan.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Oct. 11, 2016.
He committed suicide after his son was arrested in the aftermath of the coup attempt in Mersin.

28. Correction Officer Enver Senturk.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Oct. 13, 2016.
Senturk hanged himself in his flat. 31 years old officer was suspended from his duty in Adiyaman penitentiary after the coup attempt.

29. Police officer Hakki Topal.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Oct. 21, 2016.
Topal found hanged in the woods in Corum. He was also suspended from his duty after the coup attempt.

30. Police officer Cahit Korkmaz.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Oct. 25, 2016.
44 years old Korkmaz was on duty when he shot himself in the heart. Before he killed himself, Korkmaz said that he is too scared to be caught up among coup operations.

31. National Intelligence Service agent A.O.
Cause of Death: Missing, possibly dead
Date: Nov. 1, 2016
The agent was brought back to Turkey by a diplomatic vehicle. He was removed from his job after the coup attempt. He has been missing since Nov. 1. His family thinks he might be dead.

32. Colonel Irfan Kizilarslan.
Cause of Death: Unknown, alleged suicide
Date: Nov. 6, 2016

Kastamonu Gendarmerie Regional Commander Chief of Staff Colonel İrfan Kızılarslan is the highest ranking commander who reportedly committed suicide. He had been arrested although his units did not take place in the putsch. His body found dead in a prison in central province of Tokat. The family reported heavy torture but investigation into his death was soon dropped.

33. Zeynep Epli.
Cause of Death: Unknown
Date: Nov. 7, 2016.
She died during a riot in Gebze prison in Kocaeli.

34. Burak Acikalin, engineer.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Nov. 8, 2016
Acikalin allegedly committed suicide in his prison cell in Kirikkale. He was an engineer at the Intelligence Department, and accused of feeding Turkey’s well-known whistleblower on Twitter.

35. Emirhan Nas.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Nov. 10, 2016.
Nas hanged himself in Trabzon prison. Nas was 14 years old and was serving in adults prison. He allegedly killed himself over harsh conditions.

36. Mehmet Emin Dogan.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Nov. 18, 2016.
Dogan committed suicide in Tekirdag prison.

37. Behcet Emdi, teacher.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Nov. 19, 2016
43 years old teacher found hanged in the prison restroom. He first fired from his job and then arrested in the aftermath of the coup attempt in Safranbolu district of Karabuk. His wife, who was working as a nurse, was also fired after the coup attempt.

38. Police Chief Hayrullah Tamturk.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Nov. 25, 2016.
Tamturk, 40, was fired from his duty after the coup attempt. He hanged himself in his sister-in-law’s house, where he went to visit with wife and kids in Sakarya.

39. Ergulu Yildiz, school principle.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Nov. 25, 2016.
47 years old school principle from Corum was suspended from his duty, then detained and conditionally released. He later committed suicide.

40. Businessman Unal Takmakli.
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Date: Nov. 29, 2016.
Takmakli died of a heart attack in prison in the western province of Izmir. 77 years old businessman was arrested over suspected link to attempted coup on July 28, 2016.

41. Police officer Hasan Huseyin Can.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Dec. 1, 2016.
Can, 46, was suspended from his duty after the coup attempt and detained. The officer killed himself after he was released from the prison in Hatay.

42. Beytullah Akil.
Cause of Death: Suicide
Date: Dec. 11, 2016.
He committed suicide in protest in Sirnak prison.

43. Police officer Mehmet Oldum.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Dec. 21, 2016.
34 years old Oldum was found hanged in Corum. The officer allegedly was in depression after he was suspended from his duty following the coup attempt.

44. Hasan Ekinci.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Dec. 25, 2016
Ekinci committed suicide in Edirne prison.

45. Police officer Sadullah Kara.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Jan. 7, 2017.
35 years old police officer was working in the Istanbul’s Kartal Courthouse. He allegedly shot himself in the head after suspended from his job on coup charges.

46. Police officer Zeki Cezayirlioglu.
Cause of Death: Suicide.
Date: Jan. 16, 2017.
44 years old officer first consumed pesticide but recovered and then he shot himself at his house on Jan 16, 2017. He was first suspended from his duty but then restored. However, the officer faced mobbing at the office, accused of being part of the coup attempt.

Related Post