Medya News mourns the loss of Erling Folkvord, a veteran leftist politician, journalist, and a staunch advocate for Kurdish rights, who passed away at the age of 74 in Stockholm.
His death occurred on Friday afternoon while he was in the Swedish capital working on a book project related to Kurdistan and Palestine.
Folkvord’s political career was marked by his tenure as a Member of Parliament for the Red party, a member of the Oslo City Council, and his role as the leader of Solidarity with Kurdistan.
Born on 15 June 1949, Folkvord was known for his revolutionary socialist beliefs and was a prominent figure in the left-wing political sphere in Norway, outside the traditional boundaries. Throughout his career, he was an outspoken critic of Norwegian and European policies towards the Kurdish struggle, arguing for an end to the perception of the conflict between the Turkish military and the Kurds as a purely internal Turkish issue.
Folkvord’s activism was not limited to Kurdish rights; he was also a staunch opponent of the war on terror and the Norwegian involvement in the American-led invasion of Iraq. His literary contributions include 15 books, with one of his notable works being “Rojava! Kurderne i kamp for ei framtid uten Assad, Erdoğan og Daesh” (“Rojava! Kurds in struggle for a future without Assad, Erdoğan, and Daesh”), published in 2016.
The Norwegian’s early political endeavours were marked by his efforts to expose corruption, earning him the nickname “the watchdog”. His shift towards communism and anti-capitalism highlighted his commitment to social and political change.
Folkvord was a critical voice against the Norwegian government’s arms exports to Turkey during the Kurdish conflict, questioning the ethical implications of such actions. His arrest in Diyarbakır (Amed), Turkey, in 1995 by Turkish law enforcement for attending a Kurdish peace festival underscored his commitment to the cause and the risks he was willing to take.
The legacy of Erling Folkvord is that of a tireless advocate for social justice, peace, and the rights of the Kurdish people. His passing is a great loss to the political and journalistic communities in Norway and beyond. His commitment to challenging injustice and standing up for the oppressed will be remembered and missed.
