
41 years ago today, the Turkish Cypriot people lost a leader who was a light in the darkest days.
Dr. Fazıl Küçük, who led his people as a doctor, journalist, father, and politician during the years of struggle for existence and freedom, is being commemorated with ceremonies on the 41st anniversary of his death.
Two separate ceremonies were held in his honour on Wednesday: the first at the Dr. Fazıl Küçük Monument and the second at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Lefkoşa.
The first event took place at the Dr. Fazıl Küçük Monument, beginning at 10:26 AM with the laying of wreaths in protocol order. The ceremony included a moment of silence, the raising of flags accompanied by the National Anthem, and subsequently lowering them to half-mast.
President Ersin Tatar signed the Monument’s Special Book and delivered a speech, marking the conclusion of the ceremony.
Addressing those participating, President Ersin Dr. Küçük during the British colonial period, when the Turkish Cypriot people were in great despair, provided hope for the people with his courageous and determined leadership.
The President about Dr. Küçük’s struggle alongside Rauf Raif Denktaş, stressing that Dr. Küçük was always by his people’s side under any circumstances.
“During the Bloody Christmas attacks on the Turkish Cypriot people, when a hundred of our villages were burned and destroyed in an attempt to annihilate us, and half of our population became refugees, living in tents in different parts of Lefkoşa under dire conditions, Dr. Küçük was there with us. As a doctor, together with his wife Mrs. Süheyla, they led this people, and their leadership was invaluable to us” Tatar said.
Reminding that Dr. Fazıl Küçük was alongside the founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş when the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was declared on November 15, 1983, President Tatar stressed that Dr. Küçük would always maintain his place in history as a symbol of the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle.

The second ceremony, a memorial program was held at the Atatürk Cultural Centre in the morning.
The event began with a moment of silence and the National Anthem. Speeches were delivered by Selen Süheyla Küçük, the granddaughter of Dr. Fazıl Küçük, and President Ersin Tatar.
The program concluded with a performance by the Anadolu Fine Arts High School Oratory Group.
brt