Yusuf Ziya Bahadınlı has passed away

Yusuf Ziya Bahadınlı, one of the leading figures of the socialist movement in Turkey and a former member of parliament for the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), has passed away at the age of 98. Funeral details for Bahadınlı are expected to be announced later. 

A LIFE DEDICATED TO SOCIALISM

Born in the Bahadın district of Yozgat province, Bahadınlı attended primary school there before starting at Yozgat Middle School. Bahadınlı later continued his education at the Pazarören Village Institute, the Higher Village Institute, and the Balıkesir Education Institute, eventually completing it at the Ankara Gazi Education Institute (Department of Literature). 

Having worked as a Turkish language and literature teacher in primary, middle, teacher training, and high schools, Bahadınlı founded the Hür and Yeni Dünya publishing houses, which remained in operation for twenty years. He also published two magazines, İlke and Yeni Dünya, which addressed the issues of socialism. In the 1965 elections, Bahadınlı served as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) as a deputy for the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP).

Bahadınlı lived in exile for 11 years in Europe, where he had gone before the September 12, 1980, military coup. After returning to Turkey, Bahadınlı continued his struggle for socialism where he left off, becoming a member of the Socialist Power Party, and later continued his efforts with the founding of the Communist Party of Turkey (2001) under that party's leadership.