The Independence Tribunal of Diyarbakır is a court established in March 1925 in order to quell the Sheikh Said rebellion. The court was inspired by the Independence Tribunals, which had been established during the

Turkish War of Independence , strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...

, provided with extensive powers to subdue the enemies of the Government of

Mustafa Kemal Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa A ...

, and established following the issuing of the by the government of Prime Minister

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second List of Presidents of Turkey, president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its Prime Minister of Turkey, pr ...

on the 4 March 1925. The law was to be valid for two years, after which the Independence Tribunal of Diyarbakır was disestablished.

History

At first, the courts members were Mazhar Müfit (Kansu) as its president, Ali Saip (Ursavaş) and Lütfi Müfit (Özdeş) as members of the tribunal, then prosecutor and as the courts assistant. All of them had taken part in the

Young Turks The Young Turks (, also ''Genç Türkler'') formed as a constitutionalist broad opposition-movement in the late Ottoman Empire against the absolutist régime of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (). The most powerful organization of the movement, ...

movement. After eight months, succeeded Kansu as its president. The last president was Ali Saip, and Ibrahim Kocaeli was seated as a member of the tribunal. The tribunal first took aim at the Kurdish elite residing in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, notably former members of the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan (SAK), and sentenced them to death. The former leaders of the society, Sayyid Abdulkadir and his son Sayyid Mehmed (both descendants of

Sheikh Ubeydullah Sheikh Ubeydullah (1826-1883), also known as Sayyid Ubeydullah, was the leader of the first modern Kurdish nationalist struggle. Ubeydullah demanded recognition from Ottoman Empire and Qajar Iran authorities for an independent Kurdish state, or ...

), Fuad Berxo, and the journalist Hizanizâde Kemal Fevzi were hanged on the 27 May 1925 in sight of the Ulu Cami of Diyarbakır. Following, many of the Kurdish elite in the eastern provinces were prosecuted and hanged. Sheikh Said was arrested in April 1925 and following sent to the Diyarbakir prison. On 28 June 1925, Sheikh Said was tried and given the death sentence, together with 46 of his followers. The next day, they were hanged at the Mountain Gate of Diyarbakir. In total, the Independence Tribunal in Diyarbakır prosecuted more than 5000, found over 2700 as not guilty and sentenced 420 to death. The rulings of the Independence Tribunal were final and could not be appealed.{{Cite book, last=Göçek, first=Fatma Müge, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xHcRDAAAQBAJ&dq=ali+cenani&pg=PA613, title=Denial of Violence: Ottoman Past, Turkish Present, and Collective Violence Against the Armenians, 1789-2009, publisher=

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, year=2015, isbn=978-0-19-933420-9, pages=311, language=en, author-link=Fatma Müge Göçek

References

Courts in Turkey Military history of Diyarbakır History of Kurdistan Persecution of Kurds in Turkey 1925 in Turkey Sheikh Said rebellion Turkish nationalism Anti-Kurdish sentiment