Ayvaz Gökdemir

Who was Ayvaz Gökdemir?

Ayvaz Gökdemir was a Turkish politician, deputy for three terms and minister in four governments.

He was born in Gaziantep in 1942. He received a teacher's training, after which he attended Ankara University. He pursued his career as a teacher in Kayseri and Ankara, participated in the editing of the Turkish Encyclopedia, was known for his nationalist views, and in 1991, was elected as deputy from the True Path Party, led by Demirel at the time.

In a memorable episode, he caused much controversy and acquired international notoriety in June 1995, when he reacted to the declarations made by three female parliamentarians of the European Parliament on visit to Turkey, by qualifying the deputies as "prostitutes coming from Europe".

While some viewed his tone as unbecoming for someone who had reached the position of a minister, others explained it by "a sort of disgust and scepticism towards Europe, constantly present among the Turkish elite" and evaluated it within the frame of the freedom of expression. Among the three parliamentarians, Claudia Roth took judicial action against Gökdemir, who had to pay an indemnity as a consequence of the court's verdict.