The Assasination of Gaffar Okkan

Overview

Today marks the 19th anniversary of the martyrdom of former Diyarbakır Police Chief Gaffar Okkan and five of his colleagues. Okkan—who was married and a father of two—was martyred in an ambush set up on Sezai Karakoç Boulevard in the Şehitlik district while he was traveling toward the governor's office around 5:40 PM on January 24, 2001. Police officers Mehmet Kamalı, Sabri Kün, Mehmet Sepetçi, Atilla Durmuş, and Selahattin Baysoy also fell as martyrs in the attack alongside Okkan...