Prominent photojournalist passes away at 85

ISTANBUL

Senior photojournalist Ergin Konuksever, one of Türkiye’s first war correspondents, has passed away in Istanbul at the age of 85.

Konuksever, who had many professional achievements and awards, lost his life at 85 in a hospital in the Kadıköy district, where he was receiving treatment since Nov. 24.

The journalist, born in the Black Sea province of Samsun in 1937, graduated from Istanbul University’s Journalism Department.

He started his career in 1956 with the daily “Vatan” and later worked for several other dailies such as “Yeni Sabah,” “Akşam,” “Cumhuriyet,” daily Hürriyet and Milliyet.

Konuksever was known for the historical photographs he took during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, the Student Protests of 1968, the Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The photographs of Deniz Gezmiş and Mahir Çayan, the leaders of a revolutionary student movement in the 60s and 70s, were also among his well-known works.

Describing the photo of Gezmiş wearing a green coat, which became a symbol for the student moment, Konsuksever explained that he took that photo quickly when he saw him for the last time and that this photo was kind of a farewell for him.