Study shows 31 Turkish diplomats killed by Armenian groups from 1973-86

Armenian terrorist organizations killed 31 Turkish diplomats across the world between 1973 and 1986, a study by a former Turkish ambassador said.

According to the "Armenian Terror" study by Ömer Engin Lutem, the killings occurred in the U.S., Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Greece, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Portugal, Iran, and the U.K.

The study said that the assimilation of Armenians who migrated to other countries posed a threat to Armenian churches and political parties, which then decided to revive extremist national emotions to prevent assimilation and to protect their identity.

The first killing of a diplomat and his deputy came on January 27, 1973 when Gürgen Yanikyan, an Armenian, killed Turkey's consul general in Los Angeles Mehmet Baydar and his aide Bahadır Demir.

Coverage of this incident in the U.S. media encouraged the diaspora to kill other Turkish diplomats in order to create propaganda and promote their ideas among Armenians across the world.

A total of three diplomats were killed between 1973 and 1978, following which Turkish public servants abroad became targets for Armenian terrorist organizations like ASALA and the so called Justice Commandoes for Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian terrorist acts intensified from 1980 to 1983, in which 580 out of the 699 terror acts happened. The terrorist attacks ended in 1986.

Here is a list of Turkish diplomats and public servants who were killed by Armenian terror acts:


Jan. 27, 1973 Santa Barbara Consul General Mehmet Baydar
Jan. 27, 1973 Santa Barbara Consul Bahadır Demir
Oct. 22, 1975 Vienna Ambassador Danis Tunaligil
Oct. 24, 1975 Paris Ambassador İsmail Erez
Oct. 24, 1975 Paris Driver Talip Yener
Jan. 16, 1976 Beirut Head Clerk Oktar Cirit
June 9, 1977 Vatican Ambassador Taha Carim
June 2, 1978 Madrid Ambassador's Wife Necla Kuneralp
June 2, 1978 Madrid Retired Ambassador Beşir Balcıoğlu
Oct. 12, 1979 The Hague Ambassador's Son Ahmet Benler
Dec. 22, 1979 Paris Tourism Counselor Yılmaz Colpan
July 31, 1980 Athens Administrative Attache Galip Ozmen
July 31, 1980 Athens Attache's Daughter Neslihan Ozmen
Dec.17, 1980 Sydney Consul General Sarik Ariyak
Dec.17, 1980 Sydney Security Attache Engin Sever
April 4,1981 Paris Working Attache Resat Morali
March 4, 1981 Paris Religious Officer Tecelli Arı
June 09, 1981 Geneva Contracted Secretary M. Savaş Yerguz
Sep. 24, 1981 Paris Security Attache Cemal Özen
Jan. 28, 1982 Los Angeles Consul General Kemal Arıkan
May 04, 1982 Boston Honorary Consul General Orhan Gündüz
June 07, 1982 Lizbon Administrative Attache Erkut Akbay
June 07, 1982 Lizbon Administrative Attache's Wife Nadide Akbay
Aug. 27, 1982 Ottawa Military Attache Colonel Attila Altıkat
Sep. 9, 1982 Burgas Administrative Attache Bora Suelkan
March 9, 1983 Belgrade Ambassador Galip Balkar
July 14, 1983 Brussels Administrative Attache Dursun Aksoy
July 27, 1983 Lizbon Undersecretary's Wife Cahide Mihcioğlu
April 28, 1984 Tehran Contracted Secretary's Wife Işık Yonder
June 20, 1984 Vienna Working Attache Erdoğan Ozen
Nov. 19, 1984 Vienna International Servant Enver Ergun