Prominent pro-Kurdish politician Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who died on May 3 at the age of 62, was the target of a possible assassination plot before his death, his Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has confirmed.
A device capable of sabotaging a vehicle tire was discovered on Önder's car on Apr 2, the party said today in a written statement in response to recent speculation.
A parking attendant had been driving Önder’s car when he noticed a suspicious noise coming from the tires, according to the statement. The vehicle was taken to a service center, where mechanics discovered a sharp iron object attached to the rear left tire, possibly designed to cause a puncture.
“The incident was reported to party leadership and relevant examinations were conducted,” the DEM Party stated. “All findings and evidence were submitted to the authorities.
"Due to the sensitivity of the investigation, the issue was not disclosed to the public. We have not yet received a conclusive response regarding the inquiry.”
Önder was hospitalized on Apr 15 after suffering cardiac arrest due to a ruptured aorta and remained in intensive care for 18 days before his passing away.
Profile: Who is Sırrı Süreyya Önder, the pro-Kurdish politician shaped by activism, labor and cinema?
Video evidence
Doğu Perinçek, a veteran politican who chairs the left-wing nationalist Patriotic (Vatan) Party, first revealed the sabotage attempt targeting Önder's car.
He had shown Önder video evidence of the sabotage attempt when he visited him hours before being hospitalized last month, Perinçek told Ulusal Kanal on Apr 25.
"[Önder] told us [PKK leader Abdullah] Öcalan warned them that ‘America and Israel will try to kill you," he said, referring to the DEM poilticians involved in the onoing Kurdish peace efforts.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had also raised suspicions of an assassination immediately after Önder's death, citing his key role in the peace initiative and suggesting that “domestic and international powers” seeking to undermine the process may have been involved.
Önder was a member of the DEM Party delegation that has held talks with Abdullah Öcalan since December, which led to the PKK leader's call for the dissolution of the group on Feb 27, marking a historic milestone in the four-decade armed insurgency led by the group.
Q&A WITH SIRRI SÜREYYA ÖNDER ON KURDISH PEACE TALKS
'We come from a long past, and we are thinking about a long future'
(VK)
