Deputy parliament speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder hospitalized with life-threatening heart condition

Sırrı Süreyya Önder, deputy speaker of the parliament and an MP from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, has been hospitalized after suffering a tear in his aorta.

The DEM Party first announced the situation in a written statement after midnight, saying that Önder was in critical condition. "We are meticulously following his health condition to get good news as soon as possible," the statement read.

Önder experienced chest pain in his residence at around 10 pm local time (GMT+3) and was immediately taken to Florence Nightingale Hospital in İstanbul's Şişli district by ambulance, bianet has learned. He was subsequently taken to the intensive care unit and is currently undergoing surgery.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu confirmed the tear in Önder’s aorta, the main artery leaving the heart. "I wish him a speedy recovery," he wrote on social media.

Prof. Çavlan Çiftçi, an executive at the hospital, told reporters around 2 am that the tear was classified as the most severe form, identifying it as a “type 1 aortic dissection.” The surgery could take up to 7–8 hours while Önder’s life-threatening condition remains ongoing, she added.

Several prominent political figures visited the hospital following the news, including İstanbul Governor Davut Gül and Kurdish politicians Pervin Buldan, Sebahat Tuncel, and Filiz Kerestecioğlu.

Sırrı Süreyya Önder has played a significant role in Turkey's recent political history, particularly during the Kurdish peace initiatives. He was part of the DEM Party delegation that recently held talks with Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), as part of the ongoing process. (AEK/VK)

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(AEK/VK)