Eastern Mediterranean University Atatürk Research and Application Center (EMU-ATAUM) and Atatürk Ideology Club operating under the Social and Cultural Activities Directorate, held events for the 21-25 December National Struggle and Martyrs' Week.
Panel Organised
First of all, on Wednesday, 21 December, 2022, at 14:30, a panel on "21-25 December National Struggle and Martyrs’ Week" was held at Mustafa Afşin Ersoy Hall. The students, who had the opportunity to meet with those who made history, had the opportunity to listen to the Turkish Cypriots' National Struggle. The panel started with a moment of silence and the National Anthem; EMU-ATAUM President Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk, Retired Commander Ahmet Sevinç, , Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlılar Martyrs Association President Ahmet Aşır, and Turkish Resistance Organization (TMT) Mujahideen Association Deputy Chair Olgun Özçürümez attended the said panel as speakers. EMU-ATAUM President Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk emphasized that the 21-25 December National Struggle and Martyrs' Week is a very important week for the Turkish Cypriots and expressed his gratitude to the valuable mujahideen who witnessed this struggle live. Then, Assist. Prof. Dr. Göktürk conveyed the statement he prepared for the National Struggle and Martyrs' Week.
After the opening speech, the living witnesses of the Turkish Cypriots' National Struggle, Retired Mujahideen Commander Ahmet Sevinç, shared their experiences in the defense of Famagusta during the 1974 Peace Operation period. Muratağa, Atlılar, Sandallar Martyrs' Association Chair Ahmet Aşır talked about the massacres in Muratağa, Atlılar, and Sandallar villages and their memories. Association Vice President Olgun Özçürümez shared with the participants information about the Turkish Cypriot National Struggle, especially what he experienced during his struggle when he returned to the island while he was studying in Turkey.
After the speeches with emotional moments, EMU-ATAUM President Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk presented Certificates of Participation Ahmet Sevinç, Ahmet Aşır and Olgun Özçürümez.
Martyrs’ Families and Disabled War Veterans Association Visited
In the second event organized by EMU-ATAUM as part of the 21-25 December National Struggle and Martyrs' Week, the Martyrs' Families and Disabled War Veterans Association in Nicosia were visited. EMU ATAUM President Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk, EMU ATAUM Lecturer Süheyla Göktürk and EMU ATAUM and EMU Atatürk Ideology Club student group were present at the visit. The visiting delegation were welcomed by the Association President Gürsel Benan and members of the Association's Executive Board at the Martyrs' Families and Disabled War Veterans Association.
EMU ATAUM President Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk stated that the purpose of his visits is to emphasize that they always stand by the families of the martyrs, and to provide a context for students to learn better about what the Turkish Cypriots went through in their Struggle for Existence and to transfer them to the next generations in the right way.
During the visit, President of the Association Benan expressed their satisfaction with the visit made in this meaningful week and provided information about the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Turkish Cypriots' Struggle for Existence. Benan, who is also the child of a martyr, shared his memory of the moment he learned of his father's martyrdom, which created an emotional atmosphere.
At the end of the visit, the President of the Martyrs' Families and Disabled Veterans Association Benan was presented a unique gift by Assist. Prof. Dr. Göktürk. Association President Gürsel Benan, on the other hand, presented EMU ATAUM President Assist. Prof. Dr. Göktürk an album on Cyprus Turkish martyrs cemeteries.
