Fazıl Önder
| Fazıl Önder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
1926 Omorphita, Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Died |
May 24, 1958 (aged 32) Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Nationality | Cypriot |
| Ethnicity | Turkish Cypriot |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Fazıl Önder was a Turkish Cypriot journalist who fought for peace between communities in Cyprus.
Biography
Fazıl Önder was born in Omorphita in 1926. He completed primary school, but was unable to attend secondary school for financial reasons. Thereafter, along with his brother Cemal, he embarked on an apprenticeship in a saddle shop. After the completion of his apprenticeship, he founded a saddle shop of his own with a business partner.
From 1949 onwards, he signed up for membership to various trade unions, including the Pancyprian Federation of Labour.[1] In 1951, he started working at the Cyprus Turkish Education Club (TEK). Ahmet Malyo, Derviş Ali Kavazoğlu, Mehmet Edisson, and Önder created this group in order to educate themselves in politics, economy, and ideology. They started listening to Moskow and Sofia radios, and reading Turkish media. They read voraciously and encouraged the spread of socialism to members and non-members alike through TEK.
Önder eventually established a publication called İnkılâpçı (Revolutionary). He was appointed Editor, whilst Ahmet Sadi and Kavazoğlu took on columnist roles for the newspaper. İnkılâpçı published articles relevant to the Cypriot working classes and advocated the unity of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, however after its fifteenth issue, it was shut down; the publication was cited as a threat to British colonial rule. Another of Önder's actions was assisting in the establishment of the Pedagogy Academy and Agriculture School in Cyprus.
Assassination
Önder was assassinated by TMT on 24 May 1958, it is believed that the order to assassinate him came because of the threat of his socialist leanings, as well as his stance against partition, favouring the idea of a united Cyprus.
It was reported that whilst he was initially shot, it was not fatal and the killer blow came when he attempted to overpower one of his murderers, the other member of the party stabbing him in the back during the struggle. His wife, Zehra and daughter, Ayşe, were not permitted to be at his funeral; only his sister and two other relatives were allowed to attend. His relatives are still unable to confirm if Önder was in fact the individual buried under his name.[2]