Sırrı Süreyya Önder is a figure who, over the years, has been active as a producer, actor, and columnist in the field of culture-art, before entering political life. He was elected as a member of parliament for Istanbul’s 2nd electoral district in the 2011 general elections as a candidate of independent, entering the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. He later joined the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). In 2014, he ran as the HDP’s candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Municipality.

In the two separate general elections held in 2015, he was re-elected as a member of parliament from Ankara’s 1st district and continued his parliamentary term. In the 2023 Turkish general elections, he was elected as a member of parliament from Istanbul on the DEM Party list and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye for the 28th Term. He passed away on 3 May 2025 due to multiple organ failure.

Childhood and Youth Years

Sırrı Süreyya Önder was born on 7 July 1962 in Adıyaman Province to a family of Turkmen origin. His father was one of the founders of the Adıyaman branch of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) in the 1960s. Önder lost his father when he was 8 years old and moved with his family to live with his grandfather, where he grew up.

From his high school years onward, Önder became politically engaged and was drawn to socialist ideas. In 1978, while still a high school student, he was arrested for the first time for participating in demonstrations related to the Maraş Events. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University (Faculty of Political Science); however, during the 12 September 1980 military coup, he was detained due to his political activities. Following his trial, he served seven years in Mamak Prison. Upon his release from prison in the late 1980s, Önder encountered changing social conditions in Türkiye and relocated from Ankara to Istanbul.

Cinema Career

In the following years, Sırrı Süreyya Önder pursued a career in cinema and writing. In 2006, he wrote the screenplay for and co-directed the film “Beynelmilel,” which drew on elements of his own life. In 2008, he took on various roles as a screenwriter, director consultant, or actor in films and television series, including the film “O… Çocukları,” for which he wrote the screenplay. Önder also continued his engagement with literature and political writing, beginning to write columns for the newspapers BirGün and Radikal in 2010. He appeared as a guest on the TV program “Meksika Sınırı” on Ülke TV and hosted the program “Kafa Dengi” on 24 TV.

Political Career

Sırrı Süreyya Önder’s active political career began in 2011. In the general elections of 12 June 2011, he ran as an independent candidate for Istanbul’s 2nd electoral district under the banner of the “Labor, Freedom and Democracy Bloc,” formed by left-wing circles to surpass Turkey’s electoral threshold. He was elected as a member of parliament and joined the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) parliamentary group. During this period, he served as a member of parliament for the 24th Term (2011–2015) of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. He also held the position of Administrative Officer in the Assembly Presidency Board during the same period.

Önder participated in the founding of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in 2013. In the party’s early years, he served as Deputy Co-Chair of the HDP and played a key role in expanding its organizational structure. In the 2014 local elections, the HDP nominated Sırrı Süreyya Önder as its candidate for Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor. In that election, he received game percent of the vote.

2015 was a dynamic year in Önder’s parliamentary career. In the general elections on 7 June 2015, the HDP surpassed the 10 percent national threshold, and Önder entered the 25th Term of the Grand National Assembly as a member of parliament for Ankara’s 1st district. In the snap elections held later in 2015, he was re-elected from Ankara, becoming a member of the 26th Term. During both the 25th and 26th Terms, he served as a member of the TBMM Constitution Commission, leading efforts on behalf of his party during the debates over the proposed new constitution and system amendments between 2016 and 2017.

Following the 15 July 2016 coup attempt, Önder, who had previously been a victim of the 1980 coup, faced criticism for not issuing a statement supporting democracy and the people will. This absence was interpreted as inconsistency and a double standard in his democratic and popular rhetoric. In late 2018, he was sentenced to imprisonment for “terrorism propaganda” due to a speech he had given in the past to a crowd, forcing him to suspend his political activities.

In the general elections of 14 May 2023, in line with the HDP’s decision not to participate, Önder was elected as a member of parliament from Istanbul on the list of its successor party, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). In the 28th Term of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Önder was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from the opposition quota and continues to hold this position. As of 2025, he remains active in politics as Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and as a member of parliament for Istanbul from the DEM Party.

Role in the 2013–2015 Peace Process

Sırrı Süreyya Önder became one of the prominent figures in Turkey’s “Solution Process,” which refers to the series of negotiations initiated between 2013 and 2015 to end the long-standing conflict between the Republic of Türkiye and the PKK armed terrorist organization. As an HDP parliamentarian, Önder was part of the Imralı delegation that mediated between the Turkish state and Abdullah Öcalan (founder of the PKK terrorist organization) and PKK cadres. As noted in the reasoning of the Constitutional Court’s ruling, Önder served as the spokesperson for the HDP delegation during this process and participated in delegations that met with Öcalan on Imralı Island with the authorization of state authorities and engaged with the PKK’s leadership in Kandil. The same ruling emphasized that Önder’s activities constituted an active role in the democratic opening process initiated to end PKK terrorist acts.

In 2015, a development occurred that could be considered a turning point in the peace process. On 28 February 2015, government representatives and the HDP delegation jointly announced a agreement document at the Prime Ministry Office in Dolmabahçe (known in public discourse as the “Dolmabahçe Agreement”). Subsequently, on 21 March 2015, during the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır, Öcalan’s message was read once again. In this message, Öcalan called on the PKK to lay down its arms by convening a congress. The letter was conveyed to the public by Sırrı Süreyya Önder on behalf of the HDP delegation. In the message relayed by Önder, Öcalan emphasized that he was making a “historic call” and asserted that armed struggle must now give way to democratic politics. This was the first time Öcalan explicitly declared his intention for the PKK to fully disarm, and Önder played a key role in communicating this critical statement to the public.

Gezi Park Protests

Sırrı Süreyya Önder was one of the politicians who actively participated in the 2013 Gezi Park protests. He is historically recognized as the first member of parliament to physically join the demonstrations. Önder spent the night of 28 May into 29 May alongside protesters who ignited the protests in the park, making him one of the key figures of the movement. Although the Gezi Park protests began on 27 May 2013 as an environmental response to the planned demolition of trees in Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park, they continued with demonstrators’ acts of vandalism against cultural and public property and accusations of disrespect toward cultural values.

Önder’s participation in the Gezi protests also sparked internal debate within his own party. Some figures from the BDP/HDP circles chose to maintain distance from the Gezi protests, given their timing during a sensitive phase of the peace process.

Role in the 2023–2025 Peace Process

Years after the end of the peace process in 2015, allegations and initiatives emerged in 2023 and 2024 regarding the Turkish state re-establishing contact with Öcalan. In this context, Sırrı Süreyya Önder re-emerged as a important actor. Particularly within the framework of the new HDP legal entity (DEM Party) established after 2023, Önder became involved in efforts to re-establish communication with Imralı.

Initial concrete developments occurred in October 2024. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called for Öcalan to be invited to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye to end terrorism and dissolve the PKK, framing it as a decisive step. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described this as a “historic opportunity window,” lending momentum to on initiatives. The Justice Ministry responded positively to a DEM Party delegation’s request to meet Öcalan on Imralı Island. Consequently, on 28 December 2024, DEM Party Co-Chair Pervin Buldan, Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Sırrı Süreyya Önder, and Ahmet Turkish formed a delegation that met with Abdullah Öcalan, founder of the PKK terrorist organization, on Imralı Island. This marked the first official contact with Öcalan since April 2015.

Following the meeting, Buldan and Önder, who returned to day Istanbul, made a statement to the public through common. The delegation’s statement emphasized that Öcalan had underscored the historical significance of reinvigorating the brotherhood between the Turkish and Kurdish peoples, stressed that all political circles must abandon narrow calculations and take the initiative to ensure the success of the peace process, and noted that one of the most important platforms for this effort is the Turkish Grand National Assembly. It also stated that in light of events occurring in East and Syria, the problem, which has been exacerbated by external interventions, can no longer be postponed.

Following this important visit, the DEM Party delegation engaged in contacts with political parties and actors throughout 2025. Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan visited former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ in prison on 11–12 January 2025 to inform them. Additionally, informal discussions were held with parliamentary groups such as the TBMM Party, CHP and İYİ Parti. In mid-January, Önder announced that he would apply to the Ministry of Justice for permission to make a second visit to İmralı. During this period, the DEM Party announced that it would issue a comprehensive statement regarding the İmralı visit and subsequent contacts on 17 January 2025.

On 27 February 2025, the İmralı Delegation conveyed Öcalan’s historic appeal to the public. Öcalan called for all groups to lay down their arms and for the PKK to dissolve itself, urging the depictions of the terrorist organization to be abandoned and the process to proceed through democratic means.

By April 2025, communication between the government and the HDP line had gained momentum. On 10 April 2025, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan at the Presidential Complex for a meeting. This surprise encounter, held behind closed doors and attended by MİT Chief İbrahim Kalın and AK Party Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala, was not accompanied by any official statement regarding its content.

Sırrı Süreyya Önder is playing an active role in the renewed efforts to initiate a solution process. His participation in the delegation that met with Öcalan at the end of 2024, his subsequent engagement with political actors, and his dialogue with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have established him as a legitimate political actor during this period.

His Relationship with the PKK

Sırrı Süreyya Önder’s relationship with the PKK has been frequently debated due to his role in the peace process and the subsequent legal cases brought against him. Önder maintains close contact with the founder and leadership of the PKK terrorist organization. Official authorities have at times prosecuted him for “membership in a terrorist organization” based on these allegations.

After the lifting of his parliamentary immunity in 2016, the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared a comprehensive indictment against Önder. The indictment accused Önder of “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” “propaganda for a terrorist organization” to do, and “openly inciting hatred and enmity among the public,” and sought prison sentences ranging from 11 to 33 years demand. The indictment, accepted by the court on 8 December 2016, provided a detailed description of the structure of the PKK/KCK and presented evidence suggesting that Önder acted in accordance with PKK directives. For instance, it was alleged that a speech Önder delivered at the 2015 Democratic Congress (DTK) was carried out under the organization’s guidance and referenced the trench incidents in Sur and Cizre.

Another notable point in the same indictment concerned photographs of Önder with PKK members. In 2013, photographs of Sırrı Süreyya Önder alongside PKK members in Northern Iraq were published in a national newspaper, and it was stated that a citizen’s complaint prompted the prosecutor’s office to initiate proceedings. The prosecution cited such evidence as grounds for seeking punishment for Önder’s organization membership.

While these cases were ongoing, the penalty imposed on Sırrı Süreyya Önder for a speech he gave in 2013 in Istanbul’s Zeytinburnu district on charges of “propaganda for a terrorist organization” became final. After the Court of Cassation’s approval, the sentence became definitive in December 2018, and Önder surrendered to Kocaeli Kandıra F-Type Prison on 6 December 2018. In a statement to the press upon entering prison, he affirmed his commitment to his words.

Several months after Önder’s imprisonment, his lawyers brought the matter before the Constitutional Court. In its ruling, the Constitutional Court stated that Önder had delivered the speech in question within the context of the peace process and with peaceful intentions, without inciting violence. The reasoning noted that Önder had played an active role in the democratic opening process initiated to end PKK terrorist acts and even served as spokesperson for the HDP delegation during the process.

Personal Life and Death

Sırrı Süreyya Önder married in 1991 and had one child from this marriage. His marriage did not last long, and he did not remarry in subsequent years. Önder, who had been in the public eye due to health issues, died on 15 April 2025 from multiple organ failure, eighteen days after undergoing heart surgery.

A ceremony for Önder was held on 4 May 2025 at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM). Following the ceremony at the AKM, Önder’s funeral was conducted at the Levent Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa Mosque in the afternoon, after which he was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. The funeral was attended by the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, numerous former and current members of parliament, state officials, artists, and citizens.