Rauf Denktaş

Rauf Raif Denktaş Transliterated as Rauf Denktash in English

Early life and career Denktaş was born in Paphos to Turkish Cypriot parents, judge Raif Mehmet Bey and Emine Hanim. He graduated from The English School, Nicosia in Cyprus. Following his graduation he worked as a translator in Famagusta after that as a court clerk and then as a teacher for one year in the English School. He later went to Istanbul and London,

In November 1963 President Makarios gave for review to Turkey, Greece and Britain a document with a series of constitutional amendments designed to loosen the acquired rights of Turkish Cypriots in the name of "the workings of the state". Then the paramilitary action against the Turks began in December 1963, after which Turkish-Cypriots forcefully withdrew from government. Upon these events, Denktaş went to Ankara for consultations with the Turkish government. His reentry to the island was prohibited by the Greek-Cypriot leadership in years 1964–68 due to his involvement with TMT. In the 1973 vice presidential elections he replaced Fazıl Küçük.

After the 15 July 1974 Greek ultra-nationalist military coup in Cyprus, fearing for the safety of the Turkish Cypriot population, Turkey unilaterally invaded by landing troops on the north coast of Cyprus. During the military operation, the dictatorship led by Nikos Sampson fell and political wrangling began. After three weeks, Turkey continued to advance military operation. The Turkish Army took control of 37% of the island by the time it completed its second advance on 14 August 1974 and reached Famagusta. Denktaş was subsequently elected speaker of the legislature in 1975,

The TRNC has not been recognised by any state other than Turkey. Denktaş had been the chief negotiator of Turkish Cypriots in the United Nations sponsored peace talks since 1968.

Later career By 2000, the desire of both Cyprus and Turkey to join the European Union led to renewed efforts to reach a settlement. In 2002 there were large demonstrations in northern Cyprus by Turkish Cypriots demanding reunification of the island, which would give them EU citizenship when Cyprus joined the EU in 2004.

In February 2004 Denktaş embarked on a new round of UN sponsored talks with the Greek Cypriots, aimed at re-uniting Cyprus. Ultimately, as did the Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, he opposed the final version of the settlement proposal drafted under the authority of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (the Annan Plan), which was voted on by the two Cypriot communities in a referendum on 24 April 2004. The plan was accepted by 65% of the Turkish community, but was rejected by a vast majority of the Greeks.

On 14 May 2004, Denktaş announced he would not be standing for a fifth term as President of the TRNC in the next election. His tenure as President came to an end following the 17 April 2005 election of Mehmet Ali Talat, who formally assumed office on 25 April.

Personal life and awards Denktaş's favourite pastimes included photography and writing. His photographs have been exhibited in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, some of the former republics of the Soviet Union, Poland, France, Austria and Turkey. He has written about fifty books in English and Turkish. Between the years 1949 and 1957 he wrote many articles for the newspaper Halkın Sesi ("Voice of the People"), published by Fazıl Küçük, the first Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.

Denktaş has been the recipient of many awards and honorary doctorates given by various universities in Turkey, Northern Cyprus and the United States. He was married to Aydın Denktaş (1933–2019) for 63 years and had three sons and three daughters. He lost a daughter at the age of three, one son, Raif in a traffic accident and another son in a tonsillectomy. His surviving son Serdar Denktaş is also a politician, and as of 2019, leader of the Turkish Cypriot Democratic Party.

Illness, death and funeral

Denktaş's health gradually deteriorated throughout the 2000s. He had a heart condition and on 25 May 2011 suffered a stroke. while Turkey declared five days'. His funeral was held on 17 January, with thousands of attendees. He was buried in the Cumhuriyet Park ("Park of the Republic"). Rauf Raif Denktaş Mausoleum and Museum in Cumhuriyet Park, whose construction was unfinished, 2022.

Books by Denktaş

Saadet Sırları – Secrets of Happiness, 1941 Ateşsiz Cehennem – Hell without Fire, 1944 Criminal Cases, 1953–54 A Handbook of Criminal Cases, 1955 12'ye 5 Kala – 5 to 12, 1964–66 The Cyprus Problem, 1968 The Akritas Plan, 1968 A Short Discourse on Cyprus, 1972 Gençlerle Başbaşa – Alone with Youngsters, 1981 The Cyprus Triangle, 1982 Gençlerle Hasbihal – Conversation with the Youth, 1982 Cyprus Problem in a Nutshell, 1983 Gençlere Öğütler – Advice to the Youth, 1985 Kadın ve Dünya – Woman and The World, 1985 Kuran'dan İlhamlar – Inspiration from The Qur'an, 1986 İmtihan Dünyası – A World of Examination, 1986 Yarınlar İçin – For Tomorrow, 1986 UN Speeches on Cyprus, 1986 Seçenekler ve Kıbrıs Türkleri – The Options and The Turkish Cypriots, 1986 Cyprus, An Indictment and Defence, 1987 The Cyprus Problem 23rd Year, 1987 My Vision for Cyprus, 1988 Atatürk, Din ve Laiklik – Atatürk, Religion and Laïcité, 1989 Gençlerle Sohbet – Discussion with Youth, 1990 Kıbrıs'ta Bitmeyen Kavga – Unending Fight in Cyprus, 1991 Kıbrıs Davamız – Our Cyprus Issue, 1991 İlk Altı Ay – The First Six Months, 1991 What is the Cyprus Problem, 1991 A Challenge on Cyprus, 1990–91 Denktaş As A Photographer, Images From Northern Cyprus, 1991 The Cyprus Problem and the Remedy, 1992, Nicosia (Lefkoşa) From My Album, 1992 O Günler – Those days, 1993, Nicosia Images From Northern Cyprus, 1993 Vizyon – The Vision, 1994, Nicosia Kapılar – The Doors, 1995, Nicosia Observations on the Cyprus Dispute, 1996 Kıbrıs Meselesinde Son Durum – The Latest Situation in Cyprus Issue, 1996, Nicosia Rum Yunan İkilisi: İstenmeyen Cumhuriyetten Nereye? – Cypriot Greek Duo: Where to from the Unwanted Republic, 1996, Nicosia Karkot Deresi – Karkot Stream, 1996 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, I. cilt (1964) – Memoirs of Rauf Denktaş, 1964–74, volume I (1964), 1996 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, II. cilt (1965), 1997 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, III. cilt (1966), 1997 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, IV. cilt (1967), 1997 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, V. cilt (1968), 1997 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, VI. cilt (1969), 1997 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, VII. cilt (1970), 1997 Kalbimin Sesi – The voice of my heart, 1997 In Search of Justice, 1997 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, VIII. cilt (1971–72), 1998 Rauf Denktaş'ın Hatıraları, 1964–74, IX. cilt (1973–74), 1999 Hatıralar, Toplayış, X. cilt – Memoirs, Putting It Together, vol X, 2000 Note: The translations of the titles in Turkish is not necessarily the actual English title