Fazıl Önder
Encyclopedia
Fazıl Önder was a Turkish Cypriot journalist who fought for peace between communities in Cyprus
.
In 1949, he became member of various labor unions, including the Pancyprian Federation of Labour. He started working at the Cyprus Turkish Education Club (TEK) in 1951. 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 everything they could find, and spread socialism through TEK. Later they published a newspaper called İnklapçı ("Revolutionist"). Önder was the president and Ahmet Sadi and Kavazoğlu were the columnists of the newspaper.
The newspaper supported the friendship of Greek
and Turkish Cypriots
. After its fifteenth issue, it was shut down as a threat to colony rule.
Önder helped the Pedagogy Academy and Agriculture School to be established in Cyprus.
(TMT) on 24 May 1958, because he was against partition and supporting unity. He did not die on the first shot; he tried to catch one of his murderers but the other TMT member stabbed him in the back. His wife Zehra and daughter Ayşe were not permitted to be at his funeral; only his sister and two other relatives were there. His relatives are not sure if he was the one in the grave.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
Biography
Önder was born in Omorphita in 1926. He finished primary school but was unable to attend secondary school for financial reasons. At a young age, he started working in a saddle shop as an apprentice with his brother Cemal. When he learned the job, he founded his own saddle shop with someone called Ahmet.In 1949, he became member of various labor unions, including the Pancyprian Federation of Labour. He started working at the Cyprus Turkish Education Club (TEK) in 1951. Ahmet Malyo, Derviş Ali Kavazoğlu
Dervis Ali Kavazoglou
Derviş Ali Kavazoğlu , was a Turkish Cypriot member of the left wing AKEL party who was killed in 1965 by Turkish Cypriot paramilitary group TMT.-Life:...
, Mehmet Edisson, and Önder created this group in order to educate themselves in politics, economy, and ideology. They started listening to Moskow and Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
radios, and reading Turkish media. They read everything they could find, and spread socialism through TEK. Later they published a newspaper called İnklapçı ("Revolutionist"). Önder was the president and Ahmet Sadi and Kavazoğlu were the columnists of the newspaper.
The newspaper supported the friendship of Greek
Greek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
and Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
. After its fifteenth issue, it was shut down as a threat to colony rule.
Önder helped the Pedagogy Academy and Agriculture School to be established in Cyprus.
Assassination
He was assassinated by Turkish Resistance OrganizationTurkish Resistance Organization
The Turkish Resistance Organisation was a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation formed by Rauf Denktaş and Turkish military officer Rıza Vuruşkan in 1958 as a defence organisation to counter the Greek Cypriot Fighter's Organisation EOKA....
(TMT) on 24 May 1958, because he was against partition and supporting unity. He did not die on the first shot; he tried to catch one of his murderers but the other TMT member stabbed him in the back. His wife Zehra and daughter Ayşe were not permitted to be at his funeral; only his sister and two other relatives were there. His relatives are not sure if he was the one in the grave.