Turkey: Two Further Declarations about Haydar Kutan (Hoca)

We hereby share two unofficial translations of statements commemorating Haydar Kutan, also known as ‘Hoca’, meaning ‘Teacher’. One of the declarations is by Avrupa Sürgünler Meclisi (ASM), published on August 25, the other is of a statement by the Socialist Youth Movement (SYM) published by ADHK on August 27.

ASM: Another Revolutionary Heart Has Gone Silent in Exile: We Have Lost Haydar Kutan

Another revolutionary heart has gone silent in exile, Haydar Kutan (Hoca) passed away on August 24 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where he lived.

Haydar Kutan, who had struggled with health problems for years was known as a political figure, living in exile, far from his home.

Haydar Kutan was a productive revolutionary, participating in revolutionary activities; he shared his opinions and thoughts on issues of the revolution Turkey, Kurdistan and the world, on the socialist experiences and the lessons to be drawn from them, in seminars that he gave and in conferences he attended; he also wrote articles about the line of Kaypakkaya.

Haydar Kutan has published many articles anonymously and under pseudonyms in newspapers and magazines like Yeni Demokrasi, Devrimci Demokrasi, Halkın Günlüğü and Patika. Also during his years in exile he continued his political and intellectual work and won the hearts of friends, comrades and admirers through his humble and reserved manners and the relationships he had with different groups.

The European Exile Union (ASM) expresses their deepest condolences to his family, relatives, friends, and comrades, and shares their grief.

Haydar Kutan’s legacy, his struggle, and the the values he left behind will live on.

Avrupa Sürgünler Meclisi (ASM)

25-08-2026

SYM: Communist Revolutionary Haydar Kutan Lives On!

We mourn the loss of our comrade Haydar Kutan, the communist revolutionary also known as Hoca, who passed away on August 24, 2026, as a result of a devastating illness he contracted due to the harsh conditions of exile. His life, which began in 1954 in a poor village in Dersim, intersected with the communist struggle before he even reached his 20s. From that day until the moment he closed his eyes and bid us farewell, he lived in accordance with his worldview and ideals, and encouraged others to do the same. In Europe, if you ask anyone – especially within the TDH – they will tell you that they were shaped by his teachings, particularly until the illness had fully taken hold of his body and physically defeated him. Whenever his party – of which he was a member and a leading figure – faced severe setbacks that could have amounted to defeat, or wavered under the ideological siege of the international proletarian movements, Comrade Hoca did not choose the easy path or retreat; on the contrary, he took on the burden of leading further advances by learning from those defeats. He has proudly flown the banner that Comrade Kaypakkaya left us – not only in the revolution of Turkey/Northern Kurdistan but also within the International Communist Movement! This relationship, based on ownership of “bags, notebooks, and pens” is now a revolutionary legacy that every revolutionary must emulate. Bowing respectfully before his immortal memory, we reaffirm once again that we will prove worthy of this legacy, and we renew our call to all young people to join SYM and organize.

“Comrades,

A painful silence lingers behind,

As our comrades depart one by one

Bloody, fierce, selfless

And now words are no longer enough; their meaning cannot be contained within our hearts.

Our hands crave to plunge daggers

Deep into the very heart of that pitch-black darkness, time and again.”

Let us organize within SYM and expand the struggle for human dignity and liberation—the struggle for socialism—against the imperialist-capitalist barbaric order!

REVOLUTIONARIES DIE, REVOLUTIONS ENDURE!

LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION AND SOCIALISM!

SYM