Nejdet Buldan, former Yüksekova mayor who took brother's murder to European court, dies at 78
Nejdet Buldan, former mayor of Yüksekova, died after a second heart attack while in intensive care. He had taken the case of his brother Savaş Buldan, abducted and killed in 1994, to the European Court of Human Rights.
RastinewsNejdet Buldan, who served as mayor of Yüksekova in Hakkari province from 1989 to 1994, died this morning.
Buldan suffered a heart attack several days ago and was admitted to intensive care at Yüksekova State Hospital. He suffered a second heart attack this morning and could not be saved despite doctors' efforts. News of his death drew family members, relatives and many Yüksekova residents to the hospital.
Buldan was born in Yüksekova in 1948. He was elected mayor on the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP) ticket in the 1989 local elections.
His life changed in June 1994. His brother Savaş Buldan was abducted outside a hotel in Istanbul's Yeşilköy district along with Adnan Yıldırım and Hacı Karay. The bodies of all three were found the next day in Yığılca, a district of Bolu.
Buldan left Turkey after his brother's death and settled in Germany. He took the Savaş Buldan case to the European Court of Human Rights, which ordered Turkey to pay compensation to the family.
After 19 years in Europe, he returned to Yüksekova in 2014. Also known as a writer, Buldan was among the region's respected figures for his work on social peace and reconciliation.
Nejdet Buldan was the brother-in-law of DEM Party Van MP Pervin Buldan.