Nicosia, Cyprus. Renowned Cypriot journalist Sevgul Uludag died on Sunday at the age of 67. Over a career spanning more than four and a half decades, she devoted herself to documenting the fate of Cyprus’ missing persons.
Career dedicated to missing persons
Uludag focused on the more than 2,000 people left unaccounted for after intercommunal violence in the 1960s and a Greek-backed coup d’état and Turkish invasion in 1974. She frequently uncovered detailed accounts of the lives and deaths of the missing, which were published in both Turkish and Greek in Yeniduzen and Politis newspaper.
Recognition for her work
For this work, Uludag received recognition in Cyprus and abroad. She became the first Cypriot to be awarded the international courage in journalism award in 2008, won the European citizen’s prize in 2014, and was nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 2019.
Tributes from colleagues and politicians
Turkish Cypriot opposition political party CTP representative Fikri Toros said on Sunday evening that “beyond being a courageous investigative journalist, peace activist, and powerful writer, Sevgul was an exemplary Cypriot who dedicated her life to being the voice of truth, conscience, and humanity”.
He said her efforts to shed light on the fate of missing persons helped hundreds of families learn the truth they had awaited for years and contributed to strengthening trust, empathy, and shared human values between the island’s communities.
Response from Yeniduzen
Yeniduzen managing editor Mert Ozdag said Uludag had “devoted her life to the pursuit of truth, considered sharing sorrow a human duty, and believed throughout her life that peace was possible”.
He said she had taken journalism beyond writing news, spending years searching for the missing and recording pain that others did not speak about. He added that she had “etched into the collective memory of this island the story of mothers’ unceasing wait, fathers’ unanswered questions, and the graves left nameless for years”.
Ozdag said Uludag showed that journalism is not only about recording events, but also about pursuing the truth, reminding people of what has been forgotten, giving a voice to the silenced, and remaining human.
