Founder of Turkish Communist Party dies at 81

Sargın, one of the best-known figures in Turkey’s socialist movement, had been in the intensive-care unit at the Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine with an infection in his brain and lungs. He was buried Friday after a funeral prayer at Zühtüpaşa Mosque in Istanbul’s Kızıltoprak district.

Freedom and Solidarity Party, or ÖDP, leader Alper Taş said in a written statement that Sargın never gave up on his socialist mission, despite facing difficulties, including being sentenced to prison.

“Over 60 years of service, Sargın worked on spreading the leftist view throughout Turkey and was a reliable politician,” the Equality and Democracy Party, or EDP, said in a written statement.

During both his TBKP and İP years, Sargın fought for the leftist view to be recognized in a legal platform.