Kurdish politician Serdar Atalay passes away

Kurdish politician Serdar Atalay died on Saturday in Batman at the age of just 40, his relatives confirmed. Atalay, who worked as a lawyer in his native town of Batman and was chairman of the local provincial association of the DBP’s predecessor party, the BDP, from 2012 to 2014, was staying at his home yesterday when he suddenly collapsed. Although he was immediately taken to a hospital, medical staff at the Batman Training and Research Hospital could only pronounce him dead. The cause of death was given as a heart attack.

Serdar Atalay had been in poor health for several years. After suffering a stroke in early 2019, he spent a long time in rehabilitation, including in Istanbul and Ankara. For further treatment to avoid a second stroke, Atalay wanted to be treated abroad. His family had only recently made the final preparations for the trip.

Serdar Atalay was buried at Korik Cemetery in Batman on Sunday. The ceremony was also attended by HDP deputy Ayşe Acar Başaran and HDP provincial co-chairs Ömer Kulpu and Fatma Ablay.