Veteran journalist, former CHP leader Öymen dies at 93

ANKARA

Altan Öymen, a veteran journalist, writer and former leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), died July 19 at the age of 93 while being treated for pneumonia.

Öymen passed away due to multiple organ failure in intensive care, authorities said.

A state ceremony will be held at the parliament on July 21. Funeral prayers are scheduled for July 22 at the Teşvikiye Mosque in Istanbul, and he will be laid to rest at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Political figures across the spectrum, including leaders from the CHP, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), issued messages of condolence following Öymen’s death.

Born in Istanbul on June 20, 1932, Öymen began his journalism career in 1950. Over the decades, he worked as a reporter, columnist and executive for several newspapers.

He graduated from Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences in 1955 and later served as press attaché at the Turkish Embassy in Germany's Bonn during the 1960s.

He entered politics as a CHP member in 1950 and was elected a deputy from Ankara in 1977. In 1999, he was elected CHP leader at an extraordinary party convention, serving for 15 months before stepping down.

After retiring from active politics, Öymen returned to journalism, continuing to write and comment on Turkish political life.