Dr Fazil Kucuk (1906 - 1984)
A Biography
Dr. Fazil Kucuk was born on 14 March 1906 in Ortakoy. He completed his elementary and part of his secondary education in Nicosia. He then went to Istanbul where he completed his secondary education and a first year in the Faculty of Medicine. Following graduation from Lausanne University's Faculty of Medicine, he continued his education as a specialist in internal diseases and upon returning to Cyprus in 1937, began to work as a private doctor.
Although Dr. Fazil Kucuk begun his political carrier after returning to the island in 1937, he actually started his political life way back in 1931. While still a student he became involved in a bitter struggle against the Turkish members of the "Kavanin assembly" who insisted on the administration of the Turkish Evkav by British administrators.
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| Dr Fazil Kucuk |
Dr. Fazil Kucuk, spent all his political life struggling to persuade the British colonial administration to transfer the administration of the Evkaf Foundation and Turkish schools to the Turkish Cypriot people.
On 21 March, 1943 Dr. Fazil Kucuk won a big victory against his opponents and was elected as a member of the Municipality Assembly of Lefkosa and served there for six years.
He was one of the founding members of the Institution of the Turkish Minority of the Island of Cyprus (KATAK) which was established on 18 April 1943. Later he established the Cyprus Turkish National People's Party (KMTHP) on 23 April 1944. One of the basic purposes of the party programme was to prevent the annexation of the island to Greece (ENOSIS) On 23 October 1949, the Institution of the Turkish Minority of the Island of Cyprus (KATAK) and the Cyprus National People's Party were merged together under the name of the National Turkish Union Party of Cyprus.
After the start of the bloody terrorist actions of EOKA in Cyprus on 1 April 1955, the Cyprus Turkish Resistance Organization was formed by Dr. Fazil Kucuk, so that the Turkish Cypriot People could resist these attacks, for doing this he was threatened by the Greek Cypriots. Later, he dissolved this organisation and secretly founded the VOLKAN resistance organisation in September 1955.
Following an agreement between Turkish and Greek Foreign Ministers at Zurich, Dr. Fazil Kucuk represented the Turkish Cypriot People at a conference held in London and after two days signed an agreement reached in the name of his people.
According to the founding principles of the Republic of Cyprus, the President of the Republic was to be a Greek Cypriot and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot. Since the Turkish Cypriot people saw him as a saviour without any rival he was elected as the first Vice-President of Cyprus on 3 December 1959.
After the Greek Cypriot attacks against the Turkish Cypriots, which started on 21 December 1963, Dr. Fazil Kucuk became the head of a General Committee created to deal with the crisis. He also became the head of the Provisional Cyprus Turkish Administration established on 27 December 1967.
On 18 February 1973, Dr. Fazil Kucuk handed over his Vice-Presidency to Rauf R. Denktas, but continued the struggle in his newspaper. He made Halkin Sesi newspaper a banner for the just struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people and continued with his political life in this way. He never refrained from defending the just demands of the Turkish Cypriot people. During the early 1980s despite his illness he still continued to write articles in his newspaper.
Dr. Kucuk witnessed with great joy the proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In his last speech before his death he pointed out that it was as if he had recovered from his illness and that on witnessing the proclamation of the TRNC it was as if he was reborn.
Dr. Fazil Kucuk died at the age of 78 in London where he underwent medical treatment on 11 January 1984. He was buried at a place called Mumcu Hill in Hamitkoy near Lefkosa, which was later renamed Anit Tepe.