Rauf Denktaş
Rauf Denktaş | |
---|---|
President of Northern Cyprus | |
In office 15 November 1983 – 24 April 2005 | |
Prime Minister | Nejat Konuk Derviş Eroğlu Hakkı Atun Mehmet Ali Talat |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Mehmet Ali Talat |
President of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus | |
In office 13 February 1975 – 15 November 1983 | |
Vice President of Cyprus | |
In office 18 February 1973 – 15 July 1974 | |
President | Makarios III |
Preceded by | Fazıl Küçük |
Succeeded by | Vacant |
Personal details | |
Born | Turkish Cypriot | 27 January 1924
Political party | National Unity Party |
Spouse | Aydın Denktaş |
Children | 6, including Serdar (3 predeceased him) |
Occupation | Politician, statesman, political writer |
Profession | Lawyer |
Education | English high school, Nicosia, 1941 Studied in Istanbul Studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London, 1944–1947 |
Parents | Raif Mehmet Bey (1882–1941) Emine Hanim |
Signature | |
[1][2][3] | |
Rauf Raif Denktaş
Early life and career
Denktaş was born in Paphos to Turkish Cypriot parents, judge Raif Mehmet Bey and Emine Hanim. He graduated from The English School, Nicosia in Cyprus. Following his graduation he worked as a translator in Famagusta after that as a court clerk and then as a teacher for one year in the English School. He later went to Istanbul and London,[1] training first as a teacher and then as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn. He graduated in 1947 and returned home to practice law.
In 1948 Denktaş served as a member of the Consultative Assembly in search of self-government for Cyprus and became a member of the Turkish Affairs Committee. He was a crown prosecutor 1949–1958.
1957–1999
In 1957, Denktaş played the lead role in the founding of the
In November 1963
After the 15 July 1974 Greek ultra-nationalist military coup in Cyprus, fearing for the safety of the Turkish Cypriot population,
He played a key role in the 1983 Unilateral Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and was elected as the President of the TRNC in 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000.[8]
The TRNC has not been recognised by any state other than Turkey. Denktaş had been the chief negotiator of Turkish Cypriots in the United Nations sponsored peace talks since 1968.
Later career
By 2000, the desire of both Cyprus and Turkey to join the European Union led to renewed efforts to reach a settlement. In 2002 there were large demonstrations in northern Cyprus by Turkish Cypriots demanding reunification of the island, which would give them EU citizenship when Cyprus joined the EU in 2004.
In February 2004 Denktaş embarked on a new round of UN sponsored talks with the Greek Cypriots, aimed at re-uniting Cyprus. Ultimately, as did the
On 14 May 2004, Denktaş announced he would not be standing for a fifth term as President of the TRNC in the
Personal life and awards
Denktaş's favourite pastimes included photography and writing. His photographs have been exhibited in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, some of the former republics of the Soviet Union, Poland, France, Austria and Turkey. He has written about fifty books in English and Turkish. Between the years 1949 and 1957 he wrote many articles for the newspaper Halkın Sesi ("Voice of the People"), published by Fazıl Küçük, the first Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.[citation needed]
Denktaş has been the recipient of many awards and honorary doctorates given by various universities in Turkey, Northern Cyprus and the United States. He was married to Aydın Denktaş (1933–2019) for 63 years and had three sons and three daughters. He lost a daughter at the age of three, one son, Raif in a traffic accident and another son in a tonsillectomy. His surviving son Serdar Denktaş is also a politician, and as of 2019, leader of the Turkish Cypriot Democratic Party.[10]
Illness, death and funeral
Denktaş's health gradually deteriorated throughout the 2000s.[11] He had a heart condition and on 25 May 2011 suffered a stroke.[2] He died on 13 January 2012 of multiple organ failure at the Near East University Hospital in Nicosia.[2][11] Northern Cyprus declared seven days' mourning,[12] while Turkey declared five days'.[13] His funeral was held on 17 January, with thousands of attendees. He was buried in the Cumhuriyet Park ("Park of the Republic").[14]
Books by Denktaş
- Saadet Sırları – Secrets of Happiness, 1941
- Ateşsiz Cehennem – Hell without Fire, 1944
- Criminal Cases, 1953–54
- A Handbook of Criminal Cases, 1955
- 12'ye 5 Kala – 5 to 12, 1964–66
- The Cyprus Problem, 1968
- The Akritas Plan, 1968
- A Short Discourse on Cyprus, 1972
- Gençlerle Başbaşa – Alone with Youngsters, 1981
- The Cyprus Triangle, 1982
- Gençlerle Hasbihal – Conversation with the Youth, 1982
- Cyprus Problem in a Nutshell, 1983
- Gençlere Öğütler – Advice to the Youth, 1985
- Kadın ve Dünya – Woman and The World, 1985
- Kuran'dan İlhamlar – Inspiration from The Qur'an, 1986
- İmtihan Dünyası – A World of Examination, 1986
- Yarınlar İçin – For Tomorrow, 1986
- UN Speeches on Cyprus, 1986
- Seçenekler ve Kıbrıs Türkleri – The Options and The Turkish Cypriots, 1986
- Cyprus, An Indictment and Defence, 1987
- The Cyprus Problem 23rd Year, 1987
- My Vision for Cyprus, 1988
- Atatürk, Din ve Laiklik – Atatürk, Religion and Laïcité, 1989
- Gençlerle Sohbet – Discussion with Youth, 1990
- Kıbrıs'ta Bitmeyen Kavga – Unending Fight in Cyprus, 1991
- Kıbrıs Davamız – Our Cyprus Issue, 1991
- İlk Altı Ay – The First Six Months, 1991
- What is the Cyprus Problem, 1991
- A Challenge on Cyprus, 1990–91
- Denktaş As A Photographer, Images From Northern Cyprus, 1991
- The Cyprus Problem and the Remedy, 1992, Nicosia (Lefkoşa)
- From My Album, 1992
- O Günler – Those days, 1993, Nicosia
- Images From Northern Cyprus, 1993
- Vizyon – The Vision, 1994, Nicosia
- Kapılar – The Doors, 1995, Nicosia
- Observations on the Cyprus Dispute, 1996
- Kıbrıs Meselesinde Son Durum – The Latest Situation in Cyprus Issue, 1996, Nicosia
- Rum Yunan İkilisi: İstenmeyen Cumhuriyetten Nereye? – Cypriot Greek Duo: Where to from the Unwanted Republic, 1996, Nicosia
- Karkot Deresi – Karkot Stream, 1996
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, I. cilt (1964) – Memoirs of Rauf Denktaş, 1964–74, volume I (1964), 1996
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, II. cilt (1965), 1997
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, III. cilt (1966), 1997
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, IV. cilt (1967), 1997
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, V. cilt (1968), 1997
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, VI. cilt (1969), 1997
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, VII. cilt (1970), 1997
- Kalbimin Sesi – The voice of my heart, 1997
- In Search of Justice, 1997
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, VIII. cilt (1971–72), 1998
- Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, IX. cilt (1973–74), 1999
- Hatıralar, Toplayış, X. cilt – Memoirs, Putting It Together, vol X, 2000
Note: The translations of the titles in Turkish is not necessarily the actual English title
References
- ^ a b "Denktash, Rauf (1924–)" (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale. 1998. GALE|A148418503. Retrieved 15 January 2012.. Gale Biography in Context. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c Hadjicostis, Menelaos (14 January 2012). "Rauf Denktash dies at 87; former Turkish Cypriot leader – latimes.com". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- Sunday's Zaman. Istanbul. 13 January 2012. Archived from the originalon 15 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ "Biyografi – Kurucu Cumhurbaşkanı Rauf Raif Denktaş" (in Turkish). Presidency of Northern Cyprus. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Obituary: Rauf Denktash". BBC News. 13 January 2012.
- ^ a b Kuzey Kibris Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhuriyet Meclisi. "GEÇMIS DÖNEM MECLIS BASKANLARI". www.cm.gov.nc.tr.
- ISBN 9780810862982– via Google Books.
- ^ "North Cyprus: People & Life – Rauf Raif Denktaş". North Cyprus Home Page. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Radikal-çevrimiçi / Dış Haberler / Rauf Denktaş vedalaştı". Archived from the original on 5 May 2009.
- ^ "Aydın Denktaş hayatını kaybetti" (in Turkish). Yenidüzen. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ a b Stefanos Evripidou. "Denktash to be Buried on Tuesday". Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Cyprus Mail. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Turkish Cypriots mourn Rauf Denktaş's death". Archived 18 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Today's Zaman. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ "Turks all over world mourn loss of Turkish Cyprus founder Denktaş". Archived 18 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Today's Zaman. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- ^ "Funeral service for former Turkish Cypriot leader". Hürriyet. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
Notes
- transliterated as Rauf Denktash in English[5]
- ^ Turkish: [ɾaːˈuf ˈdeɲctaʃ]
Further reading
- Pierre Oberling, The Road to Bellapais (1982)
- Tozun Bahcheli, Greek-Turkish Relations since 1955 (1990)
- Kyriacos Markides, The Rise and Fall of the Cyprus Republic (1977)
- Rauf Denktash, The Cyprus Triangle (London, 1982)
- Yvonne Cerkez, Rauf Denktas A Private Portrait (2014)
External links
- Biography of Denktaş in TRNC Presidency website
- VOA News Radio Broadcast on YouTube Audio extract of Denktaş in a 2008 Voice of America interview with Nathan Morley