History

History

Turkish Green Crescent Society was founded by patriotic people and intellectuals (Dist. Prof. Mazhar Osman and his friends) from a diverse set of backgrounds in 1920, response to the British attempts to distribute booze and drugs free of charge in Istanbul in an effort to undermine the resistance against the occupation. The founders sensed the upcoming dangers of alcohol and drug addiction that resulted decline in the resistance against the occupation. The patriotic intellectuals established the “Green Crescent”, “Hilal-i Ahdar” in Istanbul in order to warn Turkish society. The official name of the association is “Türkiye Yeşilay Cemiyeti”, “Turkish Green Crescent Society”.

The Green Crescent is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions against different kind of addictions including alcohol, tobacco, drug, gambling etc. The Green Crescent was established in 1920 and given the status of Public-Beneficial Society (public beneficial society status is given to the organizations that serve for public benefits) by the Turkish government in 1934.

Today, the Green Crescent has become a trademark in fight against addictions within the country by 24 branches and 64 representatives operating in numerous cities.

Former Presidents

No Name - Surname Start End
1 Dist. Prof. Mazhar Osman UZMAN 05.03.1920 January 1945
2 Dist. Prof. Fahreddin Kerim GÖKAY January 1945 22.01.1950
3 Atty. Celal Feyyaz GÜRSEL 26.01.1950 17.05.1952
4 Dr. Şükrü Hazım TİNER 17.05.1952 17.09.1955
5 Safiye ELBİ 17.09.1955 26.05.1956
6 Dr. Şükrü Hazım TİNER 26.05.1956 25.01.1960
7 Vecihi DİVİTÇİ 25.01.1960 November 1960
8 Aytekin OZAN August 1961 December 1961
9 Fahreddin ZAİM December 1961 January 1962
10 Aytekin OZAN April 1962 December 1962
11 Prof. Dr. Abdülkadir KARAHAN November 1962 17.03.1963
12 Atty. Yusuf Ziya İNAN 17.03.1963 27.09.1964
13 Prof. Dr. Ayhan SONGAR 04.10.1964 12.02.1968
14 Atty. Kemaleddin NOMER 12.02.1968 29.11.1969
15 Selahaddin KAPTANAĞASI 29.11.1969 27.03.2004
16 Atty. Mustafa Necati ÖZFATURA 27.03.2004 13.10.2010
17 Atty. Muharrem BALCI 13.10.2010 31.10.2012
18 Prof. Dr. M. İhsan Karaman 31.10.2012 23.05.2015