Şarık Arıyak

Şarık Arıyak was a Turkish diplomat killed by an organization named Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide in Sydney, Australia.

He as born on 3 March 1930 in İstanbul. After finishing Sivas Highscool and Faculty of Political Science of Ankara University he travelled to Switzerland for further studies in the University of Lausanne. He served in the Ministry of Finance and then he transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1959. In 1969 he married to Demet Gülöz. During his youth he played football in Gençlerbirliği S.K. . He was also a 400 m.-track runner.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he served in the NATO department. Later he served in the embassies in Roma and Seul. Next he was appointed as the chief secretary of Paris embassy. In 1975 he returned home to serve in the Culture department of the ministry. On 30 November 1978 he was appointed as the chief concul in Sydney.

On 17 December 1980 at 9.45 local time, he was assassinated by two ambiguous terrorists while he was driving from his home to his office. The terrorists first shot at his bodyguard Engin Sever and then shot at Arıyak. Arıyak immediately died. Sever died after he was hospitalized. A secret organization named Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide undertook the assassination by telephone messages. Arıyak was survived by his wife and his 8-yr old daughter Çağla.

A street in İstanbul was named after Şarık Arıyak