Çetin Topçuoğlu was born in Adana in 1956. He started working as a public worker at Çukobirlik in 1979 and retired in 1998. He played as an amateur player for the Adana Demir Sporting Club for two years and started doing taekwondo in 1973. He became world champion several times and received prizes. Topçuoğlu was selected as the referee of the year between 1992- 1998. He volunteered for the IHH Adana Humanitarian Aid Association and took an active role in humanitarian activities. He always stood by the aggrieved and the disadvantaged. He and his wife Çiğdem Topçuğlu took part in youth activities as members of the association’s education, culture and youth commissions.
Discipline, determination and fulfilling his obligations are among the qualities that define him. He was at the forefront of any activity related to the Palestinian cause.
In response to the question “How much can you support this campaign?” in the Gaza aid flotilla application form he wrote “As much as we can.” As for the fields he could offer help with he listed “education, first aid, sports, organization,” and to the question why he wanted to join the flotilla he replied “To make clear our stance like a lame ant.”
In his speech during the funeral, his elder brother Cumali Topçuoğlu expressed his feelings as: “You came all the way here to show solidarity. Welcome to our merriment, happiness. Thank you for taking the trouble to be here. May my brother Çetin who granted our home and family martyrdom rest in peace. I hope many more will follow the path my brother Çetin blazed. I hope the people of Adana and Turkey will taste that blessing too.”
In a press conference organized following the 2009 Palestine convoy, Çetin Topçuğlu said “I am very sad that I am not one of the first to have been there. But we got an opportunity and Allah helped us. I and my brother Cihangir really wanted to go to Gaza. And Allah bestowed us with the opportunity. I want to go to Gaza again with my wife. We have committed ourselves to this cause. We are prepared for anything even death.”
Topçuoğlu took part in the “Palestine Our Route, Humanitarian Aid Our Load” flotilla with his wife Mrs. Topçuoğlu. His last words while saying goodbye to his friends were “We conquered the world of taekwondo and now it is time to conquer the hereafter, Allah willing.”
