Ulucanlar Prison Museum

Ulucanlar Prison was built in 1925, 2 years after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. The history of this prison is closely linked to the political history in Turkey, since many political prisoners were held in Ulucanlar. It is almost impossible to name all the prisoners who were unjustly imprisoned and tortured or executed in Ulucanlar prison. They included parliamentarians such as Osman Bölükbaşı, prime minister Bülent Ecevit, famous poets such as Nazım Hikmet and Ahmed Arif, journalists such as Cüneyt Arcayürek, directors such as Yılmaz Güney, and revolutionary leaders such as Deniz Gezmiş. In certain historical periods, Ulucanlar Prison was also a place of national attention. After the military intervention in 1971, the Turkish military established a technocratic government, amended the constitution, restricted civil liberties, and began a campaign against the youth revolutionary movement in Turkey. Turkey.

Three prominent leaders of the Turkish People's Liberation Army were detained in Ulucanlar prison and suffered various violations of their rights. The court sentenced them to death and ordered the executions of Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan on May 6, 1972. After the 1980 military coup, 17-year-old Erdal Eren, a wing high school student cholera, was also imprisoned in Ulucanlar. He was executed on December 18, 1980, after his age was officially changed to 18 because the law does not allow hanging someone under the age of 18.

One of the most devastating episodes in prison history occurred on September 26, 1999. To further increase isolation, the military decided to move political prisoners from cells to prison cells. criminals, and started a bloody operation in famous Turkish prisons, mainly targeting inmates who resisted this change. The state called the operation "Return to Life", but it was called the "December 19 Massacre" by the prisoners. When the operation ended at Ulucanlar prison, 10 prisoners were killed and hundreds were seriously injured. In 2000, the Turkish Parliament set up an investigative committee to find out what happened during the operation. The report concluded that inmates were killed by guns or physical violence, confirming that a massacre took place in the prison. The commission also called for punishment of the perpetrators of the incident.

After new prisons were built in Ankara to provide better isolation conditions for prisoners, prisoners were transferred from Ulucanlar Prison to these new prisons; This process was completed in 2006. The city of Ankara wanted to turn the Ulucanlar prison into a market for shoemakers, however, the Ankara Architecture Department proposed to the Ministry of Justice that the prison be turned into a museum. treasure. The city government held various civic congresses around the memorial project and worked to convert it into a museum for over a year. The museum opened in June 2011 and attracts quite a few visitors.

Business hours:

Weekdays, from 10:00 to 17:00

Address: Hacettepe, Ulucanlar Cd. No:63, 06030 Altındağ/Ankara, Turkey

Phone: +90 312 507 01 38