List of Turkish diplomats assassinated by Armenian militant organisations

This is a list of Turkish diplomats and other officials assassinated by Armenian militant organisations. The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) and Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) were Armenian nationalist militant groupsFrancis P. Hyland, Armenian Terrorism: the Past, the Present, the Prospects, Boulder-San Francisco-Oxford: Westview Press, 1991, pp. 61–62; that targeted Turkish diplomats and officials in Europe, the Middle East, and North America in a series of bombings, shootings, and other attacks.Gaïdz Minassian, Guerre et terrorisme arméniens, Paris, Presses universitaires de France, 2002, pp. 32–34 and 106–109. The group aimed to draw international attention to the Armenian genocide and to pressure Turkey to acknowledge the killings as a genocide. The attacks resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, including Turkish diplomats, embassy staff, and bystanders, and injured many more. The group's actions were widely condemned by the international community including the Reagan administration that labelled the assassinations as terrorism.United States Department of State. Patterns of Global Terrorism Report: 1989 , p 57Michel Wieviorka, David Gordon White. The making of terrorism. University of Chicago Press, 1993. , , p. 256 In the following years, the international community's response led to a wave of arrests and extraditions of ASALA members. The ASALA and JCAG attacks and the Armenian genocide remain highly sensitive and controversial topics in Turkey, and discussions of the events are often met with strong emotions and heated political debates. Despite this, the attacks serve as a reminder of the ongoing tensions and historical wounds that continue to affect Armenian-Turkish relations to this day.

List of ambassadors AmbassadorStatusDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.İsmail ErezFully accreditedParis, France24 October 1975Daniş TunalıgilFully accreditedVienna, Austria27 October 1975Taha CarımFully accreditedVatican City9 June 1977Beşir BalcıoğluNot activeMadrid, Spain2 June 1978Galip BalkarFully accreditedBelgrade, Serbia9 March 1983Terrorist Group Profiles. . August 1989, p. 53

List of high-ranking diplomats DiplomatTitleDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.Mehmet BaydarConsul generalSanta Barbara, California27 January 1973Bahadır DemirConsulOktar CiritFirst secretaryBeirut, Lebanon16 February 1976Şehit Diplomatlarımız (1973-1994). Ankara: Bilgi Yayınevi. 2000. .Şarık ArıyakConsul generalSydney, Australia17 December 1980Kemal ArıkanConsul generalLos Angeles, California28 January 1982Orhan GündüzHonorary consul generalSomerville, Massachusetts4 May 1982

List of security officials IndividualMilitary rankTitleDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.Talip YenerN/ADriverParis, France24 October 1975Barry Rubin, Barry M. Rubin, Judith Colp Rubin, "Chronologies of modern terrorism , M.E. Sharpe, 2008, p. 69Engin SeverN/ASecurity attachéSydney, Australia17 December 1980Cemal ÖzenN/ASecurity attachéParis, France24 September 1981Atilla AltıkatAir Force ColonelMilitary attachéOttawa, Canada27 August 1982

List of general staff DiplomatTitleDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.Yılmaz ÇolpanTourism counsellorParis, France22 December 1979Galip ÖzmenAdministrative attachéAthens, Greece31 July 1980Melkonian, Markar (2008). My Brother's Road: an American's Fateful Journey to Armenia. I.B. Tauris & Company, Limited. pp. 84–85. .Reşat MoralıLabour attachéParis, France4 March 1981Tecelli ArıReligion officerParis, FranceMehmet Savaş YergüçSecretaryGeneva, Switzerland9 June 1981Erkut AkbayAdministrative attachéLisbon, Portugal7 June 1982Bora SüelkanAdministrative attachéBurgas, Bulgaria9 September 1982Dursun AksoyAdministrative attachéBrussels, Belgium14 July 1983Erdoğan ÖzenLabour attachéVienna, Austria20 June 1984Evner ErgunUnited Nations officerVienna, Austria19 November 1984

List of family members IndividualRelationDiplomatic missionAssassination dateRef.Necla KuneralpSpouse of incumbent ambassadorMadrid, Spain2 June 1978Ahmet BenlerSon of incumbent ambassadorThe Hague, Netherlands12 October 1979Neslihan ÖzmenDaughter of incumbent administrative attachéAthens, Greece31 July 1980Nadide AkbaySpouse of incumbent administrative attachéLisbon, Portugal11 January 1983Cahide MıhçıoğluSpouse of incumbent charge d'affairesLisbon, Portugal27 July 1983Işık YönderSpouse of a secretaryTehran, Iran28 April 1984

Further reading

See also Turkish consulate attack in Paris Esenboğa Airport attack 1983 Orly Airport attack List of attacks by ASALA List of attacks by JCAG

References