Prominent politician Sırrı Süreyya Önder dies after 18 days in intensive care

Sırrı Süreyya Önder, deputy speaker of Turkey’s parliament and a key figure in the ongoing Kurdish peace talks, has died following complications from a serious heart condition. He was 62.

The İstanbul Florence Nightingale Hospital, where Önder had been receiving intensive care, announced that he passed away at 4.10 pm local time (GMT+3). He had been in critical condition since undergoing major heart surgery on Apr 15.

Önder was admitted to the hospital unconscious and in cardiac arrest. Doctors diagnosed an aortic dissection, a life-threatening tear in the main artery, and immediately performed a surgery, which lasted around 12 hours. Following the operation, Önder remained in the intensive care unit for 18 days under close monitoring, including cardiac support.

“Despite extensive intensive care treatment, Mr. Sırrı Süreyya Önder’s condition continued to worsen,” the hospital said in a statement. His neurological status deteriorated and he developed multi-organ failure. On the 18th day of his treatment, he passed away due to multiple organ failure.”

Önder will be laid to rest in İstanbul tomorrow, with a series of ceremonies planned to honor his memory.

The first ceremony will take place at 11.00 am at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Taksim, Önder’s DEM Party announced. Following the tribute, Önder’s funeral procession will continue to Barbaros Mosque in Levent.

A funeral prayer will be held after the afternoon prayer, and he will be buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Born in 1962 in the southeastern province of Adıyaman, Sırrı Süreyya Önder was a filmmaker, writer, and politician known for his involvement in both cultural and political spheres. He first entered parliament in 2011 as an İstanbul deputy with the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), a predecessor of today’s DEM Party.

He played a key role in the Kurdish peace process and was among the delegates who visited Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which led to Öcalan’s Feb 27 call for the group to disband.

(VK)