Five press groups ask Justice Ministry to reopen the Sabahattin Ali case

Five journalism and publishing organizations have applied to Türkiye’s Justice Ministry to re-examine the files on the 1948 death of writer Sabahattin Ali, search state archives and locate his grave.

The Journalists Association of Türkiye, the Turkish Publishers Association, the Journalists’ Union of Türkiye, the Writers’ Union of Türkiye and PEN Writers Association filed a joint application with the Justice Ministry asking for the investigation and trial files on writer Sabahattin Ali’s death 78 years ago to be re-examined.

Three requests

Sabahattin Ali reading a book (archive)

The application calls for all files to be reviewed, including the case against Ali Ertekin and the amnesty decision; for police, gendarmerie, intelligence and other state archives to be searched for related documents; and for Sabahattin Ali’s burial place to be identified, with DNA and forensic anthropology tests conducted with his relatives’ consent if possible.

The organizations said claims that the writer died as a result of ill-treatment or torture had never been investigated independently and thoroughly. They noted that statutes of limitation might be raised but said this should not prevent the truth from being uncovered.

His grave remains unknown

The Sabahattin Ali bust in Kırklareli

Sabahattin Ali lost his life on April 2, 1948, near Kırklareli while trying to cross into Bulgaria. His body was found by chance by a shepherd about two months later, on June 16, 1948. It was taken for a forensic examination but never handed over to his family; the place where state authorities buried him was kept secret and was eventually lost.

The death of Sabahattin Ali, one of the most widely read authors in Turkish literature with works such as “Madonna in a Fur Coat,” “The Devil Within” and “Yusuf of Kuyucak,” has remained unresolved for nearly 80 years.

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