Tarık Ziya Ekinci, a Kurdish politician, writer, historian, doctor and human rights activist, passed away on 15 August 2024 at the age of 99. Ekinci was a major figure in the Kurdish struggle and left behind a legacy of numerous works on the Kurdish issue and minority rights.
Born in 1925 in Lice, Diyarbakır (Amed), Ekinci’s life was a testament to his commitment to freedom, democracy and equality. He completed his secondary education in Diyarbakır before graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at Istanbul University in 1949. In 1957, Ekinci returned to Diyarbakır as a specialist in internal medicine. From 1958 to 1980, he represented doctors from the Kurdish region at the Central Council Congress of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB).
Ekinci’s political journey began with the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in 1957, and he joined the Turkish Workers’ Party (TİP) after the 1960 coup. He played a leading role in the Eastern Meetings, which were crucial in the formation of the contemporary Kurdish movement. Ruşen Arslan, a prominent Kurdish activist, noted that Ekinci was a key figure in almost every one of the meetings, underlining his influential role.
In 1970, Ekinci was involved in the founding of the Diyarbakır Revolutionary Eastern Cultural Centres (DDKO). However, following the 1971 Turkish military memorandum, he was imprisoned for three years for ‘Kurdish and communist propaganda’, and five more times after the 1980 coup.
During a brief period of freedom, Ekinci fled abroad, practising medicine in Paris until 1989, when he returned to Turkey. After his return, he continued to be active in Kurdish politics.
Ekinci’s passing has elicited strong statements from prominent Kurdish figures, including Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the HDP, and Selçuk Mızraklı, the former mayor of Diyarbakır, both of whom are currently imprisoned in Edirne. Demirtaş and Mızraklı expressed their deep respect for Ekinci via social media, saying, “We express that we will continue our struggle with determination to realise the dreams of our dear brother Tarık and remain true to all the values to which he dedicated his life”.
Emirali Türkmen, deputy co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) and editor-in-chief of Dipnot Publishing, offered perhaps the most apt description of Ekinci: “Tarık Ziya Ekinci was both a witness to and an actor in Turkey’s recent history. He was first and foremost a part of Kurdish history. He lived through the process known as the ‘Kurdish awakening’ or ‘Kurdish enlightenment’. In the 1960s, as a Kurdish intellectual, he was one of the key figures who continued this process. He is one of those whom I am honoured to have known”.
Ekinci’s contributions extended beyond his writings, as he was actively involved in various socialist publications and served on the Academic Political Advisory Board of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and later on the Advisory Board of the HDP.
Tarık Ziya Ekinci’s legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations in the ongoing struggle for Kurdish rights and wider social justice.
