Right-wing leaders commemorate communist poet Nazım Hikmet on death anniversary

Turkey's right-wing political party leaders Ali Babacan, Meral Akşener and Ahmet Davutoğlu have commemorated communist poet Nazım Hikmet on the 57th anniversary of his death. Hikmet is usually commemorated by leftists in Turkey and the commemoration tweets of right-wing leaders prompted surprise.

Duvar English

Turkey's right-wing political party leaders have commemorated communist poet Nazım Hikmet on the 57th anniversary of his death.

Hikmet is usually commemorated by leftists in Turkey and the commemoration tweets of right-wing leaders prompted surprise.

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener shared a video of Hikmet's pictures while she read a poem by Hikmet.

Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) leader Ali Babacan said, "I commemorate Nazım Hikmet, who is still among us with his verses, with respect."

Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu was another leader to commemorate Hikmet, deeming him "the great poet."

Imprisoned for many years in Turkey due to political views expressed in his poems, Nazım died in exile in the Soviet Union after suffering a heart attack in 1963. His body is currently buried in the famous Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, among many other "Russian literary giants.

He was stripped off his Turkish citizenship due to his political views in 1951, but was re-granted his citizenship in 2009.