Laborer Mahmut Atilla Özbelen, 26, died in Taksim

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Mahmut Atilla Özbelen was born on 1 May 1951 in Ankara.

He was a graduate of the Yıldırım Beyazıt Institute of Art.

He lived a life plagued by poverty and hardship. Over time, he joined the ranks of the Revolutionary Path (Devrimci Yol).

Union member

Özbelen began working in the Classroom Tools Manufacturing Centre, part of the Ministry of National Education, in 1972. He played an active role in organizing the other workers at his workplace.

He headed initiatives first for the Modern Metalworkers' Union, and later for the Mineworkers' Union, part of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK). He was elected as the representative for his workplace and as local chairperson.

He was well liked by the other workers and had a reputation for being honest.

In the Revolutionary Path bulletin, he described what other unions did to get him to join their ranks: "They had me treated by two specialist doctors at Hacettepe, to try and cure my slight stutter, and they invited me to fancy dinners at the Marmara Hotel. All of this to try and get me to sign on to their own revisionist politics." [1]

Steward at the First of May Rally

Mahmut Atilla Özbelen was made a steward by DİSK for 1 May 1977. But he marched behind the banner of his own political group.

From 1 May until 5 May, efforts were made to track Özbelen down, as his name was not to be found on the list of those arrested, wounded, or killed at the rally. On 5 May, his family finally found his body at the morgue. According to the autopsy report, the cause of his death was mechanical asphyxia due to compression of the chest. According to witnesses, however, there was scarring on his legs, head, and back, and his fingernails and toenails had been removed. His friends therefore believed he had been tortured to death.

Pressure to bury him in Ankara

Despite his family's insistence, Özbelen's identity card and clothes were never handed over to them. Considerable pressure was put on authorities to allow him to be buried in Ankara, and his body was transported to Istanbul's Yeşilköy Airport under police supervision. Özbelen was buried on 6 May 1977.

Although I tried to reach his friends and comrades from the Revolutionary Path, I was unsuccessful. I did, however, get to hear about him from Zehra Şahin, who worked at the same factory as him. She told me about what a keen interest Mahmut Atilla Özbelen took in others, how he turned heads wherever he went, and just what kind of a person he truly was.

Zehra Şahin, friend, tells

I knew Atilla from the factory. We both worked at the Classroom Tools Manufacturing Centre, a workplace that belonged to the Department of National Education.

We shared the same working hours. He was in a different workshop but we saw each other during breaks. We also ran into each other and chatted when clocking in.

Atilla and I went to the rally on 1 May 1977 together. In fact, we went a day early, taking a bus together from Ankara. There were four of us travelling together. I took my daughter too; she was still a baby so I didn't want to leave her behind. She was just six months old.

In the bus on the way there, she started crying and Atilla came over and asked me what we should do, if I needed anything. He was really concerned about it. He asked how many years old she was, and I said not even one year yet, just six months, and we laughed.

Eventually we got off the bus in Istanbul. They dropped me off at my sister's.

Later I spoke with a friend of ours, Selvi, who went to the rally with Atilla. I asked her what she remembered of him. Unfortunately, she didn't recall much. There was another friend of ours too, Sevinç. She and Atilla and had had an argument that evening. I don't know what about though.

Atilla wasn't there

Because they were with a different group, I didn't see him on the square on 1 May.

He'd said to me that he had to do his military service, that he was going to quit work to do it, but that he wanted to go to Taksim on 1 May before he quit.

I didn't know we'd lost Atilla that day. We went to work, and Atilla wasn't there. Later we learned he'd passed away. We were terribly upset, and we cried an awful lot.

We had photos printed of him right away.

A handsome, beautiful young man

We tried to get time off work to go to his funeral, but the factory wouldn't let us. We didn't listen to them though, we went to our friend's funeral anyway.

They were two siblings. He had a sister named Mine. He adored Mine, and spoke of her often. Mine wept so much at the funeral.
His grave is at the Karşıyaka Cemetery in Ankara.

Atilla was so handsome, such a beautiful young man. He had a slight stutter. And so he was shy about talking with women; but he turned heads wherever he went.

We lost him so young, sadly. He was such a bright, promising person. One can't help but wonder what he would have accomplished, what he would have become, if he had lived. (TY/APA/SD)

[1] http://www.devrimciyol.net/Devrimci%20Yol/dergiler/devrimciyol3yazi8.htm

About Tuğçe Yılmaz

Journalist, editor, researcher. "1 May 1977 The Voices of Those Who Lost Their Loved Ones / 1 May 1977 and Impunity" she was engaged in this dossier as a researcher, reporter, editor and writer. Her articles, interviews and reports are published in outlets such as bianet, BirGün Book, K24, 5Harfliler, Gazete Karınca and 1+1 Forum. She graduated from Ege University, Faculty of Literature Department of Philosophy. She was born in Ankara in 1991.

This text was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union provided under Etkiniz EU Programme. Its contents are the sole responsibility of "IPS Communication Foundation" and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

CLICK - 1 May 1977 e-book is online

The ones who lost their lives on 1 May '77

The ones whose loved ones we could talk to:

Ahmet Gözükara (34, teacher), Ali Sidal (18, worker), Bayram Çıtak (37, teacher), Bayram Eyi (50, construction worker), Diran Nigiz (34, worker), Ercüment Gürkut (27, university student), Hacer İpek Saman (24, university student), Hamdi Toka (35, Seyyar Satıcı), Hasan Yıldırım (31, Uzel worker), Hikmet Özkürkçü (39, teacher), Hüseyin Kırkın (26, worker), Jale Yeşilnil (17, high school student), Kadir Balcı (35, salesperson), Kıymet Kocamış (Kadriye Duman, 25, hemşire), Kahraman Alsancak (29, Uzel worker), Kenan Çatak (30, teacher), Mahmut Atilla Özbelen (26, worker-university student), Mustafa Elmas (33, teacher), Mehmet Ali Genç (60, guard), Mürtezim Oltulu (42, worker), Nazan Ünaldı (19, university student), Nazmi Arı (26, police officer), Niyazi Darı (24, worker-university student), Ömer Narman (31, teacher), Rasim Elmas (41, cinema laborer), Sibel Açıkalın (18, university student), Ziya Baki (29, Uzel worker),

The ones whose loved ones we did/could not talk to:

Aleksandros Konteas (57, worker), Bayram Sürücü (worker), Garabet Akyan (54, worker), Hatice Altun (21), Leyla Altıparmak (19, hemşire), Meral Cebren Özkol (43, nurse), Mustafa Ertan (student), Ramazan Sarı (11, primary school student)

The ones only the names of whom are known: Ali Yeşilgül, Mehmet Ali Kol, Özcan Gürkan, Tevfik Beysoy, Yücel Elbistanlı

The one whose name is unknown: A 35-year-old man

The voices of those who lost their loved ones: 1 May '77 and impunity

Political panorama of Turkey-1977

Film industry worker Rasim Elmas, 41, died in Taksim

Construction Worker Bayram Eyi, 50, died in Taksim

Teacher Bayram Çıtak, 37, died in Taksim

High School Student Jale Yeşilnil, 17, died in Taksim

Teacher Kenan Çatak, 31, died in Taksim

Teacher Ahmet Gözükara, 33, died in Taksim

Teacher Hikmet Özkürkçü, 39, died in Taksim

Student-laborer Niyazi Darı, 24, died in Taksim