Hasan TAHSIN 1888-1919

Journalist and author Hasan Tahsin, who became the symbol of Turkish national resistance by firing the first bullet in İzmir against the Greek occupation on May 15, 1919, 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 is Osman Nevres, was born in Thessaloniki in 1888. He started his primary education at Şemsi Efendi School in Thessaloniki. Later, he graduated from Thessaloniki Feyziye School. After this school, he studied Political Sciences at Paris Sorbonne University with a scholarship from the Committee of Union and Progress. He joined the Party of Union and Progress in Paris and took part in the Teşkilat-ı Mahsus (Special Organization). In Bucharest, he assassinated the Buxton brothers, who worked on behalf of the British and carried out practices against the Ottoman administration of the period, and he was caught and sentenced to 10 years in prison. After returning to İstanbul in 1916, he began to use his friend’s name to commemorate him, Hasan Tahsin, who was also a member of the Organization and a journalist.

Hasan Tahsin's journalism

Although he did not complete his university education, Hasan Tahsin, who improved himself and became a well-known name throughout his journalism career, settled in İzmir after the defeat of the war and started to publish the newspaper Hukuk-u Beşer, which was the spokesperson of the Ottoman Peace and Welfare Society in İzmir in 1918.

Hasan Tahsin's ideas

In his articles in the newspaper, he used the nickname Patriotic Hasan Tahsin. Tahsin is one of the first people to advocate for women's rights in Türkiye with his writings. He worked as a journalist in favor of the protection of the rights of employees and labor.

The first bullet for the Greeks in İzmir!

Hasan Tahsin, one of the founders of the association called Redd-i İlhak Cemiyeti (The Society of Rejecting the Dominance) along with those who protested the occupation of İzmir by the Greeks, opened fire on the Greek soldiers occupying İzmir 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 the studies on the occupation of İzmir.

Journalism Competition in Memory of Hasan Tahsin

In 1971, with the efforts of the İzmir Journalists Association, this brave action, which ignited the fuse of the National Struggle, was remembered again and a statue was erected for Hasan Tahsin, known as the “Anıt Adam” (Monument Man), at the place where he was killed in İzmir. In the name of Hasan Tahsin, the Martyr Journalist Hasan Tahsin Journalism and Journalism Incentive Competition is organized every year by the İzmir Journalists Association. The competition has the distinction of being one of the oldest competitions organized by the press in Türkiye.