Turkish president attends gala for movie dedicated to teacher slain by PKK terror group

By Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a gala Thursday for "Aybuke; I Became a Teacher!," a movie dedicated to Senay Aybuke Yalcin, who was killed in an attack by the PKK terror group in 2017.

The event was held at the Bestepe National Congress and Culture Center in the capital Ankara.

President Erdogan, accompanied by first lady Emine Erdogan, watched the film with Aybuke’s mother Zehra, father Sadik and brother Aybars along with the film’s cast.

At the end of the film, the president received a "baglama," or Turkish stringed musical instrument, from the family of the late teacher.

In a post on X, Emine Erdogan also expressed her "heartfelt" sentiments after watching the film.

She acknowledged Aybuke's dedication to her students and the country, remembering her with gratitude.

TRT General Manager Mehmet Zahid Sobaci presented the first lady with the symbolic red scarf and miniature baglama used in an iconic photo of Aybuke.

The gala for the TRT co-production "Aybuke; I Became a Teacher!" was also attended by various dignitaries, including ministers, Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun and the families of Muhammet Fatih Safiturk and Soner Fazlioglu, who were also killed in PKK terrorist attacks.

The movie will be released on Nov. 24 as a tribute to Teachers' Day.