 and deputy speaker of parliament, is in critical condition following a 12-hour emergency heart surgery for an aortic dissection, according to statement from an İstanbul hospital.){kind=link}
Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a prominent lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and deputy speaker of parliament, is in critical condition following a 12-hour emergency heart surgery for an aortic dissection, according to statement from an İstanbul hospital.
Önder, 62, was hospitalized late Tuesday, after reportedly suffering a heart attack. He was rushed to surgery at Florence Nightingale Hospital, where doctors discovered a torn aorta, a potentially fatal condition if left untreated.
“He is currently in intensive care and remains in critical condition,” said Professor Çavlan Çiftçi in a statement to the press on Wednesday. The hospital reported that Önder is on heart support due to insufficient cardiac function on the right side of his heart.
Önder is a widely respected figure in Turkish politics, known for his advocacy for peace, democracy and free expression. He has played a key role in the ongoing peace talks with jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Öcalan, serving in a delegation that held meetings with the PKK leader.
His health crisis comes just days after Önder, along with fellow DEM Party lawmaker Pervin Buldan, met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the first such meeting between Erdoğan and pro-Kurdish politicians in 13 years. The rare talks followed Erdoğan’s public openness to engaging with figures involved in the peace talks with Öcalan that prompted the jailed PKK leader to make a historic call to his organization to lay down arms and disband in February.
The news of Önder’s condition has prompted an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum. President Erdoğan conveyed his wishes for a speedy recovery to Buldan by phone, telling him, “Everything necessary will be done. Don’t worry, we’re closely following the situation.”
Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), also sent a message of solidarity, saying, “We hope he recovers quickly and returns to defending peace for everyone.”
The leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who initiated the latest peace talks with Öcalan, also called the DEM Party to wish a speedy recovery for Önder, according to Turkish media reports.
Public officials including İstanbul’s governor, Turkey’s intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın and members of parliament visited the hospital or sent messages of support. DEM Party spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan, who was at the hospital, told reporters on Wednesday that although doctors said Önder’s condition is serious, “Serious doesn’t mean hopeless.”
“We’re waiting with hope,” she said.
Selahattin Demirtaş, a jailed Kurdish politician, wrote a heartfelt letter from prison addressed to “Brother Sırrı,” praising Önder’s lifelong commitment to peace despite facing repeated threats and imprisonment. “The people of Turkey, Kurdish and Turkish alike, must know that he has done more than his share for peace,” Demirtaş wrote in his letter shared on X by his lawyers.
Born in 1962 in the eastern province of Adıyaman, Önder was imprisoned for seven years for political activism after Turkey’s 1980 military coup. He later gained prominence as a filmmaker, writer and newspaper columnist before entering politics in 2011. He was elected to parliament as part of a leftist electoral alliance and became a leading figure in the 2013-2015 peace process with the PKK that collapsed.
Önder was also the first lawmaker to join the anti-government Gezi Park protests in 2013. He was imprisoned in late 2018 and remained jailed for around 11 months for allegedly spreading terrorist propaganda.
He returned to parliament in the 2023 general election and currently serves as a DEM Party lawmaker from İstanbul.