Abdullah Meral, Haydar Başbağ, Fatih Öktülmüş, Hasan Telci;
They martyred during the 1984 Death Fast(hunger strike till death) resistance, which began in April 1984. Through it, the revolutionaries set out to thwart the policies of the oligarchy pursued in prisons, to oppose repression, and to call on the peoples of Turkey to resist fascism.
Abdullah Meral; was born in 1952 in the village of Kalebayır, Manyas district, Balıkesir province (western Turkey). He joined the revolutionary struggle in 1975. He performed tasks in the structure of Revolutionary Youth(in Turkish Devimci Gençlik, also know as Dev-Genç). He was a key figure in the anti-fascist resistance in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district. When was captured, Abdullah did not bow his head despite the inhuman torture of the enemy, so he became an example to all others with his resistance against the torture and executioners. In prison, he is at the forefront of the resistance. He martyred on June 14, 1984.
Haydar Başbağ; was born in 1956 in the city of Dersim, northern Kurdistan(eastern part of Turkey). His childhood was spent in the slums of the city of Elazığ, northern Kurdistan. Being from the Alevite confession, he was confronted at an early age with the oligarchy’s methods of discrimination, part of its policy of dividing and ruling the masses. While in high school, he was more than once subjected to fascist attacks because of his background. But he joined the struggle, not because he is an Alevi, but because he is the son of a poor family because he is against oppression and exploitation. He was a defender the cause of the unity of the working-class people, for which he fought regardless of differences – religious, national, and ethnic. After the fascist junta on September 12, 1980, he took on new and more responsible tasks. He was arrested in 1982, during the torture he showed an exemplary position for every revolutionary against the enemy. He martyred on June 17, 1984.
Hasan Telci; was born in 1957 in the town of Mudanya, Bursa province, western Turkey. In Mudanya he earns his living as a porter. In 1977 he joined the struggle in the ranks of the Revolutionary Movement, mainly developing his activities in his hometown of Mudanya and the city of Bursa. He stands out at the forefront of the anti-fascist struggle with his determination. After his arrest in 1980, he became an example to everyone in his prison. He martyred on June 24, 1984.
Fatih Öktülmüş; is a member of the Central Committee of TIKB (Union of Revolutionary Communists of Turkey) and one of the leaders of the organization. Since 1968 he has participated in the class struggle in the country. He imprisoned after the fascist military junta of March 12, 1971. In 1973, when he was released, he continued his struggle. Every time, when he fell into the hands of the executioners, he managed to defeat them.
Source: Bāğımsızlık Demokrasi ve Sosyalizm için Yürüyüş (“March for Independence, Democracy and Socialism”) Magazine, issue 524 of 5 June 2016; page 55.
