The KJK Coordination stated, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a dear friend and comrade of the Kurdish people, a peace envoy, and the successor to Baba İshak, the revolutionary tradition of the Turkmen people.”
The KJK (Kurdistan Women’s Communities) Coordination issued a message of condolence for Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a member of the DEM Party İmralı Delegation and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who lost his life on Saturday on the 18th day of his treatment in the intensive care unit of an Istanbul hospital following a cardiac arrest on April 15.
The KJK statement on Sunday reads as follows:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a dear friend and comrade of the Kurdish people, a peace envoy, and the successor to Baba İshak, the revolutionary tradition of the Turkmen people. Our condolences to Leader Apo (Abdullah Öcalan), his beloved mother, his daughter, and all peoples.
President Apo's first comrades were Haki Karer and Kemal Pir, two of the most valuable sons of the Turkish people. The Turkish people's most valuable son, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, also became a comrade and friend in the quest for peace. Sırrı Süreyya Önder represented the finest example of life and equal, free brotherhood in the face of those who sought to poison the peoples with nationalism and perpetuate a regime of genocide. The legacy of peace created by Sırrı Süreyya Önder, the embodiment of equality, freedom, and wisdom, has once again brought forth the greatness of humanity in these lands. Loyalty to his memory requires us to continue this great humanity, to develop and complete the great struggle for peace.
He chose to shoulder the heaviest burden of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples, fighting and sacrificing his life for peace. He lost his life through his immortal efforts for peace and his self-sacrifice. In this sense, our comrade Sırrı Süreyya Önder has left us with a great responsibility. Preserving, continuing, and keeping alive his humanity will be our duty. The people of Turkey, its politics, and its intellectuals have seen the beauty of brotherhood, friendship, and peace in the person of Sırrı Süreyya Önder and have chosen a path. We must embrace his struggle, grow it, and fulfill the historical obligation of bringing the goodness of peace to these lands.
We bid farewell to Sırrı Süreyya Önder with the promise that he will surely achieve brotherhood among peoples and equal and free relations. He will live on in our struggle as an immortal symbol of meaningful friendship and comradeship.
With respect and love in his memory.”
