Esat Oktay Yıldıran (15 February 1949 – 22 October 1988) was a Turkish military officer who served at Diyarbakır Prison following the 1980 Turkish coup d’état. During a period of severe political violence and armed insurgency in Turkey, the prison held members and suspected members of militant organisations, including the PKK. Former prisoners and later accounts alleged that Yıldıran was responsible for severe mistreatment and torture of prisoners, allegations that have contributed to his controversial reputation.
The prison operated in the wider context of political violence, armed militant activity and threats to the territorial integrity of the Republic of Turkey during the aftermath of the 1980 coup. Accounts of the period differ in their interpretation of Yıldıran’s role and the policies implemented at Diyarbakır Prison. Former prisoners also alleged that some inmates died during hunger strikes or committed suicide while imprisoned.
Career ‘’‘Esat Oktay Yıldıran’’’ was a Turkish military officer who participated in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Following the 1980 Turkish coup d’état, he served at Diyarbakır E Type Military Prison as a security officer from 1981 to 1983, holding the rank of captain. Later, he was promoted to major and served in Istanbul.
Diyarbakır Prison Yıldıran served at Diyarbakır E Type Military Prison during a period of severe political violence and instability in Turkey following the 1980 coup. Former prisoners subsequently alleged that inmates were subjected to severe mistreatment, including beatings, coercion and other forms of abuse. Testimonies concerning conditions at the prison have been published by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Some former prisoners and later accounts have characterised aspects of the prison regime as attempts at Turkification, particularly through the enforcement of Turkish-language use, military discipline and national symbols. These accounts form part of the wider historical controversy surrounding the treatment of political prisoners at Diyarbakır Prison.
Allegations concerning the prison dog Yıldıran was associated with a German Shepherd known as “Co”. Former prisoners alleged that inmates were required to salute the dog and that it was used as a means of intimidation. Such allegations appear in testimony concerning conditions at Diyarbakır Prison published by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Other accounts contain more serious allegations concerning the alleged use of the dog against prisoners. These claims are presented as allegations attributed to former prisoners rather than as independently established facts.
Historical interpretation Yıldıran remains a controversial figure in modern Turkish history. Critics have portrayed him as a symbol of the harsh treatment of political prisoners following the 1980 coup, while accounts of the period also place the prison within the wider context of political violence, armed militant activity and the security policies of the post-coup period.
The conditions at Diyarbakır Prison, including allegations of systematic mistreatment and the enforcement of strict military discipline, have subsequently become an important subject in discussions of the legacy of the 1980 coup and its treatment of political prisoners.
Assassination of Esat Oktay Yıldıran
On 22 October 1988, Yıldıran was on a public bus which stopped by at a station, and 2 suspects entered the bus and sat behind him. After the bus halted at another stop, moments later the doors opened one of the two suspects opened fired. He was shot dead on the bus in Ümraniye, Istanbul.
According to some reports, his firing assassin yelled "Laz Kemal sends his greetings" (referring to one of the inmates, Kemal Pir) before shooting him. He died in front of his wife and two children. On the 26th of October, he was buried and declared a martyr by the government.
The PKK took responsibility of the attack, after a anonymous man contacted the Cumhuriyet Gazétte later that day and stated that; "Esat Oktay Yıldıran, who was punished in Kısıklı today, was killed by the PKK." As a result, the two suspects were identified as members of the PKK, but never fully identified and were never caught.
Aftermath Yıldıran's torture methods were the subject of the Turkish television series "Bu Kalp Seni Unutur mu?" Various books have also been written about Yıldıran's torture practices. One of the most famous books is Mehdi Zana's "Hell No. 5. Diary from a Turkish Prison". Yıldıran was honored as a hero and martyr by Turkish nationalists. In 2010, the Istanbul City Council added his name to a memorial in Fatih.Tageszeitung Milliyet vom 1. Oktober 2010
In 2013, a Turkish court sentenced the journalist Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı to a suspended prison term of ten months and fined him for writing that Yıldıran was a torturer.
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