The Co-Presidency of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council released a statement regarding the critical condition and situation of DEM Party Parliamentary Deputy Chairman and member of the Imrali delegation, Sirri Sureyya Önder.

The DEM Party politician suffered a heart attack on Tuesday evening and was rushed to the Florence Nightingale Hospital in Istanbul. Following an emergency surgery, he was moved to intensive care. His condition is still described as serious and threatening, and the prognosis remains guarded. On Wednesday, his sedation period has been extended by five days.

The KCK statement on Thursday includes the following:

“The esteemed Sirri Sureyya Onder, DEM Party Parliamentary Deputy Chairman and member of the Imrali delegation, was hospitalized due to a sudden heart condition and underwent a serious surgery lasting 12 hours. Unfortunately, his doctors have stated that his life is still in danger. We, with great sadness, learned this news from the press and try to keep updated. First of all, we wish him a speedy recovery and patience to all his loved ones. It is extremely regrettable that such a situation has befallen a valuable person who has become a public figure with his struggle for socialism and democracy as well as his work in art and thought. Our wish and hope is that he will overcome this situation as soon as possible and be able to continue all his works, especially his work for peace and democracy, where he left off.

At a time when the democratic political solution to the Kurdish question is back on the agenda in Turkey and important developments are taking place on the road to dialogue, it is extremely important that the esteemed Sirri Sureyya Onder, who plays a strategic role in this process with his work, suddenly encounters such a situation. Sirri Sureyya Onder has carried out such valuable work and has made such a significant contribution to the development of peace and the democratic society. This situation occurred after his meeting with the President and before his meeting with the Minister of Justice. Those who are in favor of the democratization of Turkey and the solution of the Kurdish question should be deeply conscious of the meaning and value of Sirri Sureyya Onder’s efforts and should make more courageous efforts for the development of the peace and democratic solution process.

As the doctors who performed the surgery have stated, the situation is not an easy and common one. Considering the role played by Sirri Sureyya Onder in the political process, it is also necessary to look at the current situation with skepticism. It is known that there are internal and external forces opposed to the peace and democratization process in which Sirri Sureyya Onder is actively engaged. We would like to express our suspicion here and state that all relevant forces should carry out the necessary work to shed light on this situation. Rêber Apo [Leader Abdullah Öcalan] has also emphasized the possibility of such a situation in his talks and told everyone to be careful and cautious. This is an incident that needs to be investigated and clarified.

Our efforts to ensure the success of the process, which has developed with the great labor and efforts of the esteemed Sirri Sureyya Onder and which Rêber Apo has initiated with his historic ‘Call for Peace and Democratic Society’, will continue in the future. We would like to state that we will continue to increase this effort both because of our belief in Rêber Apo and the process he has developed and because of the value we attach to our friend and comrade in the cause of our people, the esteemed Sirri Sureyya Onder. Once again, we wish him a speedy recovery and express that our heart beats with his precious heart.”