On 19 December 2002, a Turkish historian was gunned down near his home in Cankaya section of Ankara, Turkey. This was not an ordinary murder; it was the assassination of a young scholar who was not afraid to express and to publish his findings and views on controversial topics such as foreign foundations operating within the Turkish borders and fundamental religious groups such as "Fethullacilar." Although I never had the opportunity to meet Necip Hablemitoglu personally, I knew this courageous writer as a former member of the International Committee for Crimea.

He first introduced himself to the Turkish public with a series of articles titled "Yuzbinlerin Surgunu" [The Deportation of the Hundreds and Thousands], which was published in the Turkish daily Aksam in the 1970s. These articles were later issued as a book with the same title. Considering the silence of the entire world, including the Turkic world, about the brutal deportation of the Crimean Tatar people by Soviet authorities during World War II, Hablemitoglu's articles written during the sensitive "Cold War" era, were indeed a daring attempt to draw world's attention to this politically "hot" issue. He continued to work on Crimean Tatar and other Turkic issues by publishing the journal Birlik in the early 1970s. Carlik Rusyasi'nda Turk Kongreleri (1905-1917) [Turkic Congresses in Tsarist Russia (1915-1917)] was another of his scholarly contribution to the history of the Turkic peoples of Russia, a subject he was deeply interested in. With his wife Sengul Hablemitoglu, he co-authored one of the most important books related to Crimean Tatars, Sefika Gaspirali ve Rusya'da Turk Kadin Hareketleri (1893-1920) [Sefika Gaspirali and Turkic Women's Movement in Russia (1893-1920)]. (See: www.iccrimea.org/reports/sefika.html). Dr. Necip Hablemitoglu also wrote numerous articles related to Crimea and Crimean Tatars, mostly published in Crimean Tatar bi-monthly journal Kirim, issued in Ankara, Turkey. A selected list of his articles is included below.

Dr. Hablemitoglu's tragic death saddened me deeply not only as a human being, but also as a Crimean Tatar. With his assassination, a pen that wrote about Crimean Tatars' tragic history is silenced. I will always remember Necip Bey and his contributions to the Crimean Tatar history. "Allah Rahmet Eylesin!" May Allah's blessings be upon him! I extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife Sengul Hanim, his young daughters Kanije and Uyvar, and his entire family.

Mubeyyin Batu Altan
President
International Committee for Crimea
Washington, DC

 

A Select List of Necip Hablemitoglu's articles on Crimean Tatar History

"Gaspirali Ismail Bey: Dilde Birlik ve Turkluk Suuru" [Gaspirali Ismail Bey: Unity in Language and the Turkish Conscience]. Kirim Vols. 9-10, Nos. 36-40: 17-23, 2002.

"Kirim'da 1917 Ihtilali Donemine Ait Ilk Defa Yayinlanan Siyasal Bir Belge. Kirim Cumhuriyeti'ne Giden Yolda Ilk 'Hitapname': Sosyalizm-Turkculuk" [A First-time Published Document on the 1917 Revolutionary Period in Crimea. A first Oratory Related to the Crimean Republic: Socialism and Turkism]. Kirim Vol. 8, No. 30: 3-6, 2000.

"Ilk Defa Yayinlanan Bir Belge. Kirim Tekalif-i Milliyesi: 'Millet Sandigi'na Bir Ruble!" [A First- time Published Document. A Crimean National Proposal (Tekalif-i Milliye): 'A Buck (Ruble) for the National Treasury!]. Kirim Vol. 7, No. 28: 3-5, 1999.

"Kirim'da Aclik Yillari (I), 1921-1922" [Famine Years in Crimea (I)]. Kirim Vol.7, No. 26: 12-23, 1999.

"Kirim'da Aclik Yillari (II), 1921-22" [Famine Years in Crimea (II)]. Kirim Vol. 7, No. 27: 3-7, 1999.

"Kirimli Aydinlarin Sorunlari Uzerine Ozelestiri: Kirim'da Aydin Kirimi" [A Self - Critique of Issues Related to Crimean Tatar Intellectuals: Liquidation of Intellectuals in Crimea]. Kirim Vol. 6, No. 23: 3-13, 1998.

"Kirim Turk Tarihine Isik Tutacak Onemli Bir Belge: Tatar Partisi Programi." [An Important Document that Would Shed Light on Crimean (Tatar) History: Program of the Tatar Party]. Kirim Vol. 5, No. 20: 3-6, 1997.

"Ilk Defa Yayinlanan Belgeler Isiginda: Gaspirali Ismail Bey ve Carlik Rusyasi Hukumetleri" [In the Light of a First-time Published Document: Ismail Gaspirali Bey and Tsarist Governments]. Kirim Vol. 5, No. 19: 3-27, 1997.

"Sefika Gaspirali'nin Hatiralarindan: Tercuman'nin Dogus ve Kapanis Evreleri (1883-1918)." [From the Memoirs of Sefika Gaspirali: The Eras of Birth and Closure of Tercuman (1883-1918)] Kirim Vol. 5, No. 17: 7-10, 1996.

"Rusya Turkleri'nin Milli Surasi." [The National Council of Russian Turks]. Kirim Vol. 4, No. 16: 8-10, 1996.

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