Politician İbrahim Ayhan Loses His Life
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Politician İbrahim Ayhan has died of a heart attack at the age of 50 in the province of Erbil/Hewlêr in Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government. He will be laid to rest in Turkey's southeastern province of Urfa, where he was born.
The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) shared a message on Twitter today (September 20) and stated:
"We are deeply saddened by the sudden death of our dear friend and former MP Mr. İbrahim Ayhan who devoted his life to the struggle for peace, democracy and freedom in Turkey. We extend our condolences to his family and our peoples. #İbrahimAyhan"
In the message shared under the signature of HDP Co-Chairs Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli, it has been stated, "We promise that we will adhere to his struggle and aspirations."
Ayhan Barış, who was an MP of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) for two terms, was also the Urfa MP of the HDP in the 26th Parliament of Turkey.
About İbrahim Ayhan
Born in the district of Siverek in Urfa in 1968, İbrahim Ayhan graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University in 1992. He began to serve as a teacher three years later.
Between 1997 and 2007, he served as an executive and chairperson at the Urfa Branch of the Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen).
On October 1, 2010, he was detained and arrested in a police operation launched as part of the Kurdistan Communities' Union (KCK) investigation.
He was elected as the Urfa MP of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on June 12, 2011 as he was imprisoned. He was released on January 3, 2014.
On November 1, 2015, he entered the parliament as the Urfa MP of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
He was relieved of his MP duties on February 27, 2018 on the ground that there was a definitive verdict of arrest issued for him.
He was tried and sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" for sharing the photograph of Aziz Güler, who lost his life in Rojava. (AS/SD)