Akhanlı was born in the Artvin district of Şavşat in 1957. He was captured in 1985 in the wake of the September 12 coup while he was a student in the. He was severely tortured. He served over two years in a military prison. He worked as waiter and fisherperson. So that he would not go to prison again, he went to Germany in 1991.
1957 Artvin Şavşat doğumlu. Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi öğrencisiyken 12 Eylül askeri darbesini yaşadı. 1985'te yakalandı; ağır işkence gördü. İki yılı aşkın bir süre askeri cezaevinde hapis yattı. Ocakçılık, garsonluk, balıkçılık yaptı. Yine hapse girmemek için 1991'de Almanya'ya gitti.