Artin Penik

Artin Penik (1921 – August 15, 1982) was a Turkish-Armenian who committed suicide by self-immolation in protest of the Esenboga airport attack by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA, also known as Third October) on August 10, 1982.

Penik, a 61-year-old, self-employed tailor, set himself on fire in Taksim plaza, the main square of Istanbul, Turkey, after leaving a suicide note in which he wrote "I can no longer bear the grief over slayings of innocent people."

In the attack which led to Penik's suicide protest, ASALA directly targeted civilians for the first time, opening fire in a crowded passenger waiting room at the Ankara airport. He further stated that his original plan had been to immolate himself in front of the French general consulate, but he changed his mind at the last moment, and decided to die in the "presence of Atatürk" in Taksim.