Hasan TAHSIN

On May 15, 1919, journalist and writer Hasan Tahsin, who became the symbol of Turkish national resistance by firing the first bullet against the Greek occupation in Izmir, was born in Thessaloniki in 1888 and played an important role in the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence.

Who is Hasan Tahsin?

Hasan Tahsin, whose real name was Osman Nevres, was born in Thessaloniki in 1888. He started his primary education at Şemsi Efendi School in Thessaloniki. He then graduated from Thessaloniki Feyziye School. After this school, he studied Political Sciences at the Sorbonne University in Paris with a scholarship from the Committee of Union and Progress. In Paris, he joined the Committee of Union and Progress and took part in Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa. He organized the assassination of the Buxton brothers in Bucharest, who were working on behalf of the British and were engaged in practices against the Ottoman administration of the time, and was captured and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 1916, after returning to Istanbul, he started to use his name to commemorate his friend Hasan Tahsin, who was also a journalist and a member of Teşkilatı Mahsus.

Hasan Tahsin's journalism

Although he did not complete his university education, Hasan Tahsin, who developed himself throughout his journalism career and became a well-known name, settled in Izmir after the war ended in defeat, and in 1918 he began publishing the newspaper Hukuk-u Beşer, which became the mouthpiece of the Ottoman Peace and Salvation Society in Izmir.

Hasan Tahsin's ideas

He used the nickname Vatanperver Hasan Tahsin in his writings in the newspaper. Tahsin was one of the first to advocate for women's rights in Turkey with his writings. He was a journalist in favor of protecting the rights of employees and labor.

The first bullet against the Greeks in Izmir!

Hasan Tahsin, who was one of the founders of the Redd-i İlhak Cemiyeti (Redd-i İlhak Cemiyeti) together with those who protested the occupation of Izmir by the Greeks, opened fire at the Greek soldiers occupying Izmir on May 15, 1919, killed some of them and was killed by the soldiers. Hasan Tahsin was forgotten for a long time after this date. His name was not mentioned in studies on the occupation of Izmir.

Journalism Contest in Memory of Hasan Tahsin

In 1971, with the efforts of the Izmir Journalists' Association, this courageous act that sparked the National Struggle was remembered again and a statue was erected for Hasan Tahsin, known as the "Monument Man", at the place where he was killed in Izmir. In the name of Hasan Tahsin, the Izmir Journalists Association organizes the Martyr Journalist Hasan Tahsin Journalism and Journalism Incentive Competition every year. The contest is one of the oldest competitions organized by the press and media in Turkey.