Prominent Turkish politician Sırrı Süreyya Önder, deputy speaker of the Turkish parliament and Istanbul MP for the Kurdish nationalist DEM party, died on Saturday at the age of 62 after suffering a serious heart attack in the middle of last month that had required emergency surgery to try to save his life.
‘On the 18th day of his treatment and monitoring in our intensive care unit, Mr Sırrı Süreyya Önder passed away at 4.10 p.m. on 3 May 2024, due to multiple organ failure,’ the management of the hospital where he was being treated said in a statement, according to news agencies and media in Turkey.
Önder, a key figure in the new round of negotiations between the government and the PKK terrorist group, and one of the architects of the historic appeal made by Abdullah Öcalan last February calling for the dissolution of the armed group, had been hospitalised on the night of 15 April and underwent emergency surgery lasting 12 hours after suffering a type I aortic dissection.
The veteran Turkish politician, also known for his career as a film director, actor, screenwriter and columnist, had undergone further surgery, but according to doctors, his condition had deteriorated rapidly in the last few hours and his neurological symptoms had worsened, ultimately leading to a multiple organ failure and his death.
Messages of condolence from the Turkish political class
As soon as the news of his death was announced, numerous messages of condolence arrived from across the political spectrum in Turkey. One of the first to express his sorrow at Önder’s death was Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahçeli, another of the architects of the new negotiations with the PKK, who had met with Önder a few days before his hospitalisation: ‘I am deeply saddened by the death of Mr Önder, and I believe that the achievement of the initiative for a Turkey free of terrorism will be a spiritual gift to the late Önder, as well as an eternal service to our national unity,’ Bahçeli said.
The speaker of the Turkish parliament and former minister of Culture and Tourism, Numan Kurtulmuş, also expressed his sadness at ‘the passing of my brother, the deputy speaker (of parliament) and representative of Istanbul for the DEM party, Sırrı Süreyya Önder.’ ‘He was a valuable person who earned everyone’s respect with his kindness, stance and personal modesty,’ he said.
Prominent officials such as Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, AKP party president in Istanbul Abdullah Özdemir, and Istanbul Governor Davut Gül went to the hospital in the Istanbul district of Şişli where Önder died to convey their condolences in person to the deceased’s family, including his mother, Zeliha Önder, and his daughter, Ceren Önder Kandemir. Numerous members of the pro-Kurdish DEM party to which the deceased politician belonged, as well as several well-known artists, also visited the hospital.
A key figure for peace in Turkey
As an Istanbul MP for the DEM party but also as a prominent columnist for many years in left-wing newspapers such as BirGün and Radikal, Sırrı Süreyya Önder had been one of the main architects, together with MP Pervin Buldan, also from the DEM Parti, of the recent peace initiative in Turkey.
In fact, last December, the two led the first meeting with Öcalan in almost a decade, which later led to the historic appeal by the PKK leader and the announcement of a ceasefire by the armed organisation. The two had subsequently held numerous meetings with the highest Turkish authorities, including President Tayyip Erdoğan, who met with Önder and Buldan just five days before he was admitted to the hospital were he finally died today.
According to a statement released today by the DEM party, the funeral for Sırrı Süreyya Önder will take place on Monday 5 May at 12 noon at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Istanbul, and afterwards, following a religious ceremony at the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha Mosque in Levent, his body will be buried in the Zincirlikuyu cemetery. In addition, from 7:15 p.m. today, condolences for his passing may be offered at the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Centre in Şişli.
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As a history lover, Pablo Gómez was captivated by Turkey from the first day he visited it in 2006: he got married there, has a house there… and has since become an expert on Turkey’s current affairs. With a long experience in media, he has been at the helm of hispanatolia.com since 2011.
