Hüseyin Akdoğan, a Kurdish patriot, died in Paris after contracting the coronavirus. The number of Kurds who died in France for the same reason rose to at least 5.

The Democratic Kurdish Council of France (CDK-F) said in a written statement that Akdoğan was one of the oldest patriots of the Kurdish freedom struggle, noting that he died in the suburb of Villiers-le-Bel in the Paris region.

The statement said: "Hüseyin Akdoğan, who has been living in Villiers-le-Bel for many years, was originally from the Kerboran (Dargeçit) district of Mardin, and died on Friday after contracting  the corona virus."

The statement added: "Hüseyin Akdoğan had been in a coma in a Paris hospital since 12 March and passed away on Friday. Hüseyin Akdoğan, who has been living in Paris since the 1970s, was one of the oldest and main veterans of the Kurdish freedom struggle in France."

Along with Hüseyin Akdoğan, at least 4 other Kurds have died in France due to the coronavirus, said the statement, adding that hundreds are in quarantine.