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Revision as of 10:55, 10 September 2012
The assassination of Galip Balkar refers to the murder of the Turkish ambassador to Yugoslavia, Galip Balkar, on March 9, 1983.
Incident
Two Armenian gunmen opened fire with small firearms on his car, which stopped for a red light at a major downtown intersection in Belgrade. Balkar, 47, and his chauffeur Kaya Necet were wounded, the condition of the ambassador being critical. The two assailants then attempted to run away from the scene, and killed a Yugoslav student, Zeljko Milivojevic, who tried to prevent their escape. Two Yugoslav security agents in the area chased them and shots were exchanged. The gunmen wounded one of the agents, Slobodan Brajevic. Another shot aimed at Brajevic had ricocheted off a wall and slightly wounded an office worker, Zorica Solotic.
The attackers were arrested and identified as Harutyun Krikor Levonian and Alexander Elbekyan. They had arrived in Yugoslavia from Beirut on 6–7 March and both held Lebanese passports. Levonian, seriously wounded, was caught shortly after the attack, and Elbekyan eight hours later.
The same day, an anonymous caller to The Associated Press in Athens took responsibility for the attack on behalf of the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide a terrorist unit that is blamed for at least a dozen attacks on Turkish targets since 1975. Callers to other news outlets in Paris and Beirut also said the Justice Commandos had carried out the assault. The messages said the shooting was intended to draw the world's attention to what the group called "the national problem of the Armenian people."
Galip Balkar died on 11 March in the neurosurgical clinic in Belgrade where he was in critical condition after emergency surgery for two bullet wounds one in the head, the other through the right shoulder to the spine. Following the news of the death, SFRY President Petar Stambolic sent a telegram to Turkish President Kenan Evren expressing his most sincere condolences. Premier Milka Planinc and Foreign Secretary Lazar Mojsov also sent messages of condolence to their Turkish counterparts.
Balkars body was flown to Ankara aboard a special aircraft and the funeral was held there on the 15th.
Commenting on the events, Yugoslav news agency Tanjug emphasised the deep indignation evoked throughout Yugoslavia by the assassination attempt and Yugoslavia's condemnation of terrorism.
Balkar's death brought to 26 the number of Turks slain in the previous 10 years. More than 300 people had been wounded and 35 others killed since the mid-70s. Only days prior to the shooting, Greek Armenians were quoted in the Athenian newspaper Acropolis as saying, "we are going to bring Turkey to her knees by shooting her best diplomats.” Turkey called on Western governments for help in preventing attacks on Turkish diplomats by radical Armenian groups.
On April 14, 1983 the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul appealed to Armenians around the world to fight against "those Armenians who have made a black stain on the race." Patriarch Shnork Kaloustian and other Armenian religious and lay leaders took part in a march to the central Taksim Square, where they observed a minute's silence in memory of the 26 Turkish diplomats and aides killed by Armenian extremists in the previous decade.
Trial and sentence
The Belgrade Public Prosecutor charged Harutyun Krikor Levonian, 23, and Rafi Alexander Elbekian, 21, of Beirut, with assassination of Turkish Ambassador to Yugoslavia Galip Balkar and attempt to kill his driver Kaya Necet. In addition to this, the bill of indictment charged Levonian with having, after the assassination of the Turkish ambassador, tried to kill retired Colonel of the Yugoslav People's Army Slobodan Brajovic, who was blocking his escape. It also charged Elbekian with the murder of Yugoslav student Zeljko Milivojevic, who tried to capture the assassin. It was established that Levonian and Elbekian arrived in Belgrade with the task set by JCAG. In view of the fact that the first accused, Levonian, was in a special health condition as a consequence of his wound and that Elbakian was a junior adult, the two were not sentenced to death. They were defended by Srdja Popovic, a leading Yugoslav lawyer who worked in Belgrade.
Terrorists Krikor Levonian and Raffi Alexander were sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment each on 9 March 1984, exactly one year after the incident. The Court ruled that after they have served the sentences they would be expelled from Yugoslavia. It was established that Levonian killed the Turkish Ambassador and seriously wounded the Yugoslav Slobodan Brajovic, while Elbekian seriously wounded the Ambassador's driver Necat Kaya, and trying to escape from the scene of the crime, killed the Yugoslav student Zeljko Milivojevic. Stojan Miletic, Deputy Republican Public Prosecutor of Serbia, stressed that the harshness of the sentences corresponded to the gravity of the criminal acts.
According to a statement from the "Central Committee of Solidarity with Armenian Prisoners" in Athens, Harutyun Levonian was released by the Yugoslav authorities in June 1987. Although the statement did not elaborate on the reasons for his release, officials in the Greek capital had hinted that he might have been released on medical grounds: he was wounded when security guards returned the fire and subsequently became paralyzed after a stroke.
Yugoslavia's posthumous award for Turkish Ambassador
On March 17 1983, by order of the Presidency of Yugoslav Republic, Galip Balkar, was posthumously awarded the "Order of the Yugoslav Flag with Ribbon". The decision to award the decoration stated that Ambassador Balkar, in his short diplomatic mission to Yugoslavia, made an important contribution to the development and advancement of friendly relations between Turkey and Yugoslavia.
See also
References
- Terrorist Group Profiles. ISBN 1-56806-864-6. Aug 1989, p. 53
- ^ Gunmen Wound Turkish Envoy to Belgrade. The Washington Post. March 10, 1983, Thursday, Final Edition
- ^ Assassins of Turkish ambassador indicted. Yuqoslav News Agency. September 14, 1983, Wednesday
- ^ Assassination of Turkish Ambassador to Yugoslavia. BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. March 14, 1983, Saturday
- Turk Dies in Belgrade; Two Gunmen Held The New York Times. March 12, 1983
- ^ Turks Ask for Help in Fighting Armenian Attacks. The New York Times. April 17, 1983, Sunday, Late City Final Edition
- Armenian defendants appeal to Serbian Supreme Court. BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. October 5, 1984, Friday
- Killer of Turkish Ambassador reported freed in Yugoslavia. BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. June 6, 1987, Saturday
- Yugoslavia's posthumous award for Turkish Ambassador. BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. March 19, 1983, Saturday
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