Muğlalı incident

The Muğlalı incident describes the shooting of 33 Kurdish smugglers on July 28, 1943 on the orders of the commander of the Turkish 3rd Army General Mustafa Muğlalı in Özalp (province of Van ). The order was given without prior negotiation. Of the 33 men, only one survived.

The food shortage in Turkey associated with the Second World War led to increased smuggling on the Turkish- Iranian border. Conflicts therefore increased between local tribes and security forces. In July 1943, the Milan tribe , who live on both sides of the border, smuggled large herds of cattle across the border. The notified army could not prevent this and then arrested 40 tribe members from the village of Koçkıran in Özalp. Although the court issued arrest warrants for only five men, General Muğlalı ordered the remainder to be extradited to the army for questioning. The 33 men were then shot near the border. In a previously planned protocol it was noted that the men had been shot while trying to escape. Although the sole survivor notified the authorities, there were no consequences.

When the Democrat Parti entered the Turkish parliament , the case was reopened. At the request of the Democrat Parti, proceedings were initiated against the civilians and military officers responsible. On March 2, 1950, General Muğlalı was sentenced to death for killing him . Due to his old age and extenuating circumstances, the sentence was commuted to 20 years imprisonment. The judgment was later overturned by the Military Court of Cassation . Before the case could be tried again, Muğlalı died in prison on December 11, 1951 at the age of 71.

After the Istanbul pogrom in 1955, the Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi accused the ruling Democrat Parti of separatism. In response, the Muğlalı incident was discussed again in parliament. This time even the then MPs of the CHP and İsmet İnönü , who was president at the time, should be charged. In 1943 the one-party system prevailed. On February 12 and 25, 1956, the issue was discussed in parliament, but the case was closed due to the statute of limitations.

Political discussions

After the military coup in 1960 against the Democrat Parti, member of the National Unity Committee, Major Orhan Erkanlı, judged the incident as follows:

“Instead of demanding revenge for the blood of the sons of the army who died in the perpetual fighting with bandits, the Democratic Party preferred, for its own political ends, a great commander like Muğlalı, who returned to Kâzım Karabekir for Peace and order in the east made sure to bring them to justice. The government at the time and İnönü knew very well about this incident. But the hero Muğlalı followed the eternal rules of soldiery and leadership that a commander is responsible for everything that happens and does not happen, and took the blame and was sentenced to death as a result. "

Others

The incident was later processed in literature and music. The poet Ahmed Arif wrote a work called 33 Kurşun (Eng .: 33 balls).

In May 2004, a border barracks in Özalp was named after General Muğlalı. In August 2009, Minister of State Hüseyin Çelik stated that the name of the barracks should be changed due to the incident. In November 2011 the name was changed by the army.

General Muğlalı was also chairman of the Independence Court that after Kubilay - event in 1930 Menemen in Izmir was established.

further reading

• Ahmed Arif: Hasretinden Prangalar Eskittim . Cem Yay İstanbul 2001
• Orhan Türkdoğan: Güneydoğu Kimliği . Alfa Yay., 1998
• Kenan Esengin: Orgeneral Muğlalı Olayı 've 33 Kişinin Ölümü . Yenilik Basımevi, İstanbul 1974
• Kazim Karabekir: Kürt Meselesi . Emre Yay, 1995

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Turkish Original: Demokratlar, bitmez tükenmez müsademelerde (silahlı çatışma) eskiya takiplerinde şehit nozzles Türk ordusunun evlâtlarının hesabını soracak yerde kendi siyasi çıkarları uğruna, Kâzım Karabekir'den sonra Doğu'da ilk defa bir nisbi sükunet sağlayan büyük kumandan Muğlalı'yı mahkeme huzuruna çıkarmayı tercih ettiler. Elbette bu uygulamadan devrin hükümetlerinin ve İnönü'nün de haberi vardı. Fakat yiğit Muğlalı, askerliğin, kumandanlığın ezeli kuralına uyarak (kumandan yapılan ve yapılmayan her şeyden sorumludur) suçlamaları üzerine aldı ve neticede oleum mahkûm edildi.