The commemoration programme held at the Law Amphitheatre of Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) began with a Moment of Silence and the National Anthem. After a recitation from the Holy Quran and a prayer for our martyrs, a documentary titled “The Liberation of Gaziantep” was screened.
Speaking at the opening of the programme, HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli said: “Today is 25 December 2023. Happy 102nd Anniversary of the Liberation of our Veteran City from enemy occupation. Our hearts are heavy and our grief is great because of the martyr news we have recently received. May their resting place be paradise. Our condolences to our nation. We will not fall into despair under any circumstances. We will continue our struggle all together. The struggle of the people of Antep 102 years ago is still an example to the world. The epic struggle the people of Antep waged against the enemy is a source of pride for all of us. Led by Şehit Kamil, Şahin Bey, Karayılan and many more nameless heroes, the people of Antep, receiving no support or aid from anywhere, resisted the enemy attacks heroically, giving 6,317 martyrs, and Antep was awarded the title of ‘Gazi’ (Veteran). What falls to us today is to work with all our strength, in the same spirit of struggle, in a manner worthy of our ancestors who left us this land as an inheritance, and to multiply goodness on earth. Despite all hardships, Hasan Kalyoncu University, located in Gaziantep, the Veteran City, the land of martyrs and veterans who never gave up their homeland at the cost of their lives and who shielded the enemy with their chests, continues its work with this awareness and mobilises all its resources so that our young people, the guarantee of our country’s future, are raised as well-equipped individuals.”
At the programme, attended by Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola, Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Şener Büyüköztürk, Deputy Mufti of Gaziantep Dr. Ramazan Yıldırım, academics and students, Lecturer Dr. Murat Erkoç gave a conference titled “The Defence of Antep from Resistance to Liberation”.
