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Fatin Rüştü Zorlu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Turkish Foreign Minister | |
| In office 25 November 1957 – 27 May 1960 | |
| Preceded by | Mehmet Fuat Köprülü |
| Succeeded by | Selim Sarper |
| Turkish Deputy Prime Minister | |
| In office 17 May 1954 – 29 July 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Samet Ağaoğlu |
| Succeeded by | Mehmet Fuat Köprülü |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1910-04-20)20 April 1910 Istanbul,Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 16 September 1961(1961-09-16) (aged 51) İmralı Prison,İmralı,Turkey |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Spouse | Emel Aras |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Galatasaray High School Sciences Po Paris University of Geneva |
Fatin Rüştü Zorlu (20 April 1910 – 16 September 1961) was aTurkishdiplomat andpolitician. He was executed by hanging after thecoup d'état in 1960 along with two other politicians.
He was born on 20 April 1910 inIstanbul to a family originating from the village of Zor,Artvin in northeasternTurkey. After finishing high school atGalatasaray High School, Zorlu was educated inpolitical science at theInstitut d'études politiques de Paris,France and in law at theUniversity of Geneva,Switzerland.
Returning to Turkey, Zorlu began his career as a diplomat in 1932 in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1938 on, he served at various posts in embassies and consulates inBern (Switzerland),Paris (France),Moscow (USSR),Beirut (Lebanon) and at the ministry in Ankara as well. Following Turkey's joining ofNATO on 18 February 1952 he was appointed ambassador to NATO at theSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Paris.
In 1954, Zorlu entered politics and was elected to theTurkish Grand National Assembly as the deputy ofÇanakkale for theDemocratic Party. He served as deputy prime minister between 1954 and 1955 and as minister of state in 1955. In 1955 he was also acting minister of foreign affairs and participated in the Tripartite Conference onCyprus problem in London in June that year.[1] Zorlu left the office in the late 1955. He,Sıtkı Yırcalı andHasan Polatkan were investigated by a Parliamentary commission in January 1956 due to the allegations of their involvelment in importing East German trucks and tires of no value and a general neglect of their duty.[2]
Zorlu was appointed minister for foreign affairs in 1957 and held the post until 27 May 1960 when theTurkish Armed Forces staged a coup and ousted the government of Prime MinisterAdnan Menderes. In 1959, he participated along withAdnan Menderes in theBilderberg Meeting inYeşilköy,Turkey. It is rumoured that the coup might have something to do with that meeting.
During his tenure as minister of foreign affairs Turkey applied for the membership of theEuropean Economic Community in 1959.[3]
He was arrested along with other party members, charged with violating theconstitution, and put ontrial on the island ofYassıada. His roommate in the Yassıada prison wasCelal Yardımcı, a fellow party member and minister of justice.[4] He and Menderes were accused by the court of planning theIstanbul Pogrom. Though both of them rejected the claims, it is believed by scholars that Menderes assented to the organization of protests in İstanbul against the Greeks, but the extent of knowledge of Zorlu, who had been in London for the conference, is unclear. According to Zorlu's lawyer at the Yassiada trial, a mob of 300,000 was marshaled in a radius of 40 miles (60 km) around the city for the attacks.[5]
Zorlu was sentenced to death and executed by hanging on the island ofİmralı on 16 September 1961 along with Adnan Menderes andHasan Polatkan. He approached the gallows calmly, helped the hangman to lay the noose around his neck.[6]
Zorlu married Emel Aras on 29 October 1933.[7] She was the daughter ofTevfik Rüştü Aras who was serving as the minister of foreign affairs at that time.[7] Fatin Rüştü Zorlu and Emel Aras had a daughter, Sevin Zorlu (1936–2006), who was a journalist.[8]
Many years after his death his grave was moved to amausoleum in İstanbul on 17 September 1990 along with the graves of the two other cabinet members hanged.
Media related toFatin Rüştü Zorlu at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey 17 May 1954–9 December 1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey 25 November 1957–27 May 1960 | Succeeded by |
 Permanent representatives of Turkey to NATO | ||
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