Cumhuriyet columnist Ali Sirmen has passed away at 84

Cumhuriyet newspaper columnist Ali Sirmen has passed away. Sirmen, who was also a lawyer, an actor, and a father of one was 84 years old.

Ali Sirmen, the grandson of famous composer and violinist Sadi Işılay, had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Istanbul for some time.

Sirmen's funeral was held on the courtyard of the Cumhuriyet office, where he was later buried in Zincirlirkuyu graveyard.

HIS BACKGROUND

Ali Sirmen, the grandson of the composer and violinist Sadi Işılay, was born on November 10, 1939 in Istanbul. Sirmen graduated from Galatasaray High School and Istanbul University Faculty of Law.

Sirmen started his career as a columnist at Akşam newspaper in 1966. He also wrote columns for Yeni Ortam and Milliyet newspapers. Sirmen wrote for Cumhuriyet before his passing.

ON TRIAL FOR THE PEACE ASSOCIATION CASE

Sirmen took part in the establishment of the Peace Association in 1972.

After the September 12, 1980 military coup in Turkey, he was arrested in relation to the Peace Association case, as he was one of the founders, and was imprisoned for four years. While in prison, he wrote under the psuedonym “Samim Lütfiand”.

He played the role of a Antep police officer in the television series “İkinci Bahar”. In the movie “Cumhuriyet”, he played the role of Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, the founder of the Cumhuriyet news publication. He was one of the hosts for the program Black-White on SkyTurk channel. He also hosted the debate show “Excuse me with Sehüyl Batum” on Cem TV.

In 2015, he was awarded the Burhan Felek Press Service Award by the Journalists Association of Turkey.

He had a son named Devrim (born 1966) from his marriage with Mine Sirmen. On March 25, 2020, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and undergone treatment. On April 4, 2020, he had fully recovered from COVID-19.