İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, currently imprisoned, has described the legacy of Sırrı Süreyya Önder as a lifelong commitment to peace and brotherhood in Turkey.
Önder, a Deputy Speaker of Turkey’s parliament and member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, died on 3 May in İstanbul after 18 days in intensive care following emergency heart surgery.
İmamoğlu, who is being held in Silivri Prison, issued his condolence message through his lawyers on social media. “I received the news of Mr Sırrı Süreyya Önder’s passing with great sorrow. I extend my condolences to his family, loved ones and the DEM Party community,” he wrote.
“We will remember Mr Önder for his extraordinary efforts and wise character in pursuit of peace and coexistence in Turkey. The most important legacy he leaves us is the unyielding commitment to struggle for peace and brotherhood.”
Just weeks before his death, Önder had publicly condemned the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was later imprisoned. Speaking from the podium of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) on 19 March, Önder criticised what he called “political engineering” aimed at restricting democratic space. Without naming İmamoğlu directly, he warned that such interventions, though seemingly rational on paper, often produced “irrational outcomes” when confronted by the will of the public. Reaffirming his long-held commitment to democratic expansion, he added: “I cannot approve, remain silent, or stand by any intervention that undermines the democratic character of the Republic.”
Önder, a former political prisoner, filmmaker and veteran lawmaker, played a central role in both the 2013–2015 peace process and the renewed Kurdish peace talks currently underway in Turkey. The earlier process, often referred to as the “İmralı talks”, involved negotiations between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), during which Önder served as a member of the delegation tasked with conveying messages between imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and Turkish officials.
In 2025, Önder returned to that role as a member of the İmralı Delegation in a fresh round of dialogue aimed at ending the decades-long conflict, which has claimed over 40,000 lives—most of them Kurdish civilians. However, the delegation’s scheduled meetings with government representatives, including the Minister of Justice, were postponed following Önder’s sudden hospitalisation in mid-April.
During a rare prison visit on 27 February, Öcalan recalled Önder’s contribution to drafting the final sentence of a planned joint peace appeal. He praised the late MP’s ability to “turn adversity into strength” and described him as a tireless advocate for coexistence.
Widely respected for his rhetorical skill and cross-partisan appeal, Önder stood out in Turkey’s sharply polarised political landscape. His 2006 satirical film Beynelmilel (“The International”) received several international awards, and his parliamentary speeches were often remembered for their sharp wit and eloquence.
He suffered a catastrophic aortic rupture on 15 April and underwent nearly 12 hours of emergency surgery. His death was confirmed on 3 May by Florence Nightingale Hospital in İstanbul.
Tributes have poured in from across the political spectrum, including from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and opposition leaders. Many described Önder’s death as the loss of a rare figure who embodied both revolutionary activism and intellectual gravitas in Turkish and Kurdish politics.
