Forty one years ago, on 6 May 1972, Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Huseyin Inan were hanged in Ankara. Their trial had began on July 16, 1971. Gezmiş and his comrades were sentenced to death on October 9 for violating the Turkish Criminal Code's 146th article, which concerns attempts to "overthrow Constitutional order". According to legal procedure, a death sentence must be endorsed by Parliament before being sent to the President of the Republic for final assent. In March and April 1972 the sentence was placed before Parliament and in both readings the sentence was overwhelmingly approved.

After joining the Workers Party of Turkey (Türkiye Işçi Partisi), Gezmiş studied law at Istanbul University in 1966. In 1968, he founded the Revolutionary Jurists Organisation (Devrimci Hukukçular Kürulumu) and the Revolutionary Student Union (Devrimci Öğrenci Birliði).

He became increasingly politically active, and led the student-organised occupation of Istanbul University on June 12, 1968. After the occupation was forcibly ended by the law, he spearheaded protests against the arrival of the US 6th Fleet in Istanbul. Deniz Gezmiş was arrested for these actions on July 30, 1968, to be released on October 20 of the same year.

As he increased his involvement with the Worker's Party of Turkey, and began to advocate a National Democratic Revolution, his ideas started to circulate and inspire a growing revolutionary student base. On November 28, 1968, he was arrested again after protesting US ambassador's visit to Turkey, but was later released. On March 16, 1969 he was arrested again for participating in right-wing and left-wing armed conflicts and imprisoned until April 3. Gezmiş was re-arrested on May 31, 1969. The university was temporarily closed, and Gezmiş was injured in the conflict. Although Gezmiş was under surveillance, he escaped from hospital and went to Palestine Liberation Organization camps in Jordan to receive guerrilla training.

On March 4, 1971, Deniz Gezmiş and comrades kidnapped four U.S. privates from TUSLOG/The United States Logistics Group headquartered in Balgat, Ankara. After releasing the hostages, he and Yusuf Aslan were captured live near Siavs following an armed stand-off with law enforcement officers.

Their trial began on July 16, 1971. Gezmiş was sentenced to death on October 9 for violating the Turkish Criminal Code's 146th article, which concerns attempts to "overthrow Constitutional order". According to legal procedure, a death sentence must be endorsed by Parliament before being sent to the President of the Republic for final assent. In March and April 1972 the sentence was placed before Parliament and in both readings the sentence was overwhelmingly approved.

On May 4, President Cevdet Sunay after officially consulting the Minister of Justice and Prime Minister Nihat Erim , refused to grant Gezmiş a pardon. He was executed by hanging on May 6, 1972 in Ankara Central Prison along with Hüseyin Inan and Yusuf Aslan.

Deniz Gezmiş was born in Ankara on February 24, 1947.

Deniz Gezmiş is one of the revolutionaries in Turkey who dedicated their lives to the socialist cause. In his last letter addressed to his father just before the hanging, he was explaining the spirit of sacrifice by the revolutionary movement of Turkey: "Men are born, grow up, live and die... The important thing is not to live for a long time, but to do more things in the lifetime... My friends who were ahead of me did not show hesitancy before the death... You should not have any doubt that I will not have hesitation…."

Today and at the weekend Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan, Huseyin Inan and the many revolutionaries like them will be remembered in several places. In Mersin, independent candidate Ertuğrul Kürkçü (Labor, Democracy and Freedom Block) will be one of the speakers in a series of commemoration meetings at Hrant Dink Park.

In 1970, Kürkçü was elected the General President of the Federation of Turkish Revolutionary Youth Associations (DEV-GENÇ). Kürkçü was one of eleven young revolutionaries who tried to rescue Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Arslan and Hüseyin Inan, members of the Turkey's People's Liberation Army (THKO) who were sentenced to death penalty by the Ankara Martial Law Court after the military coup on 12 March 1970. Kürkçü was the only one who survived the operation at the Kızıldere village in the Niksar district of Tokat. The Martial Law Court sentenced him to death penalty. Kürkçü served 14 years in prison before he was released in March 1986.