During the coup attempt in our country on July 15, 2016, Halil Kantarcı, a jeweler and father of three, received news that the Çengelköy Police Station had been raided by soldiers and immediately left home to go to the scene. However, on the way, he was stopped by the putschists and martyred. Following the funeral prayer held in Fatih Mosque, Kantarcı’s body was buried in Çengelköy Cemetery.
Halil Kantarcı’s father Ali Kantarcı, who lives in Sivas, described his son as follows: “On the night of the incident, Halil was visiting his mother-in-law. My other children informed Halil that the coup had been taken to the place. He immediately went outside. When my daughter-in-law saw Halil in front of the building next door, she said, ‘Don’t go, there’s something strange.’ After exchanging his blessings with his wife, Halil was shot and martyred by the putschists while trying to go to the Çengelköy Police Station.”
Learning about the incident in Sivas on the morning of July 16, father Ali Kantarcı went to Istanbul after his relative said, “We need to go to Istanbul, Halil is injured,” and learned that his son had been martyred. Ali Kantarcı said, “I knew Halil was injured until Istanbul. Halil was a calm, helpful child. May God bless him, my children did not let me bow my head, they made me proud. Halil’s name is being kept alive. Many institutions and schools bear the name of Halil Kantarcı. I also pray for those who keep his name alive and do not forget him.”
Ali Kantarcı stated that many people called him to support him after his son’s martyrdom. Father Kantarcı said, “I lost one Halil, I had 100 thousand Halils,” and added, “My phones never stopped ringing after Halil. We are known in many places. May Allah be pleased with him. You see that there is a light “On the faces of all our martyrs. I wish mercy to all our martyrs. I also wish a peaceful life to our veterans.”
