Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Parliament and DEM Party member Sirri Sureyya Onder has died following complications from a heart attack. The 62-year-old politician, who played a crucial role in peace negotiations between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants, passed away after days in intensive care at Istanbul’s Florence Nightingale Hospital.
A Pivotal Peace Mediator Lost
Sirri Sureyya Onder, a key figure in Turkey’s political landscape and member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), has died at age 62. Onder had been hospitalized since Tuesday when he suffered a severe heart attack, requiring a 12-hour surgery. Despite intensive medical intervention, his condition remained critical with the hospital noting persistent “high risk” and “life-threatening” status in their final updates.
As Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Parliament and part of the Imrali delegation, Onder had been instrumental in peace negotiations between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish government. His death comes at a particularly sensitive moment in the peace process, following PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s February letter urging the group to disarm and disband—a message that had sparked hope for ending a four-decade conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives.
Political Journey Through Activism and Art
Born in Adıyaman on July 7, 1962, Onder’s political consciousness was shaped early by his father, who led the provincial office of the Workers Party of Turkey. Following his father’s death when Onder was just eight, he began working while still in school to support his family, first in a photography shop and later for the National Malaria Eradication Program.
His political activism began in earnest during his university years in Ankara, where he was arrested for protesting against the 1980 military junta. This activism resulted in a twelve-year prison sentence on charges of membership in an illegal organization, serving time in multiple facilities including Mamak, Ulucanlar, and Haymana prisons.
Before fully entering politics, Onder established himself as a filmmaker. His 2006 film “The International” won Best Picture at the 2007 International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival and competed at the Moscow International Film Festival, showcasing his artistic talents alongside his political convictions.
Widespread Impact Across Political Spectrum
In the days before his death, Onder received an outpouring of support from across Turkey’s political divide. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally called DEM Party co-chair Pervin Buldan twice for updates on Onder’s condition, while leaders from all major Turkish political parties expressed their concern.
Veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk mourned Onder as “a dear friend and politician who has advocated for peace,” reflecting the sentiment of many who knew him as a bridge-builder in Turkey’s complex political landscape.
Onder’s parliamentary career began when he was elected as an independent deputy for Istanbul in 2011, later joining the Peace and Democracy Party. Throughout his political life, he maintained connections to media and activism, writing for publications including BirGün, Radikal, and Özgür Gündem while participating in significant protests like the 2013 Taksim Gezi Park demonstrations.
His commitment to the Kurdish peace process led to legal troubles, including a 43-month prison sentence in 2018 for a speech during Newroz celebrations. Though released in 2019 after a Constitutional Court ruling that his freedom of expression had been violated, he continued to face legal challenges, including a 2021 lawsuit seeking to ban him from politics.
Onder’s death represents not only the loss of a respected politician but also diminishes hopes for progress in Turkey’s peace negotiations at a critical juncture, leaving a significant void in the country’s ongoing efforts toward reconciliation.
