Tunahan Kuzu

Dutch politician (born 1981)

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Key Takeaways

Tunahan Kuzu (born 5 June 1981) is a Dutch politician of Turkish descent who served as an MP from 20 September 2012 until 5 December 2023.
On 18 November 2014, he became Parliamentary group leader.
He was succeeded as party leader by Farid Azarkan in 2020.
He worked as a health care advisor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and was also a member of the municipal council of Rotterdam from 2008 to 2012.
In a statement posted to Facebook Kuzu explained his action as a protest against human rights abuses committed against Palestinian civilians in the Palestinian territories.

Tunahan Kuzu (born 5 June 1981) is a Dutch politician of Turkish descent who served as an MP from 20 September 2012 until 5 December 2023. Initially he was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA) and on 13 November 2014 Kuzu and Selçuk Öztürk left the Labour Party and formed the Group Kuzu/Öztürk, later renamed Denk ("Think"). On 18 November 2014, he became Parliamentary group leader. In the 2017 Dutch general election, the party secured three seats in the House of Representatives. He was succeeded as party leader by Farid Azarkan in 2020.

Early life

Kuzu grew up in Maassluis and studied public administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam. He worked as a health care advisor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and was also a member of the municipal council of Rotterdam from 2008 to 2012.

Controversies

Relations with Israel

Kuzu attracted international attention in September 2016 when he refused to shake the hand of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu before a meeting at the States General of the Netherlands. In a statement posted to Facebook Kuzu explained his action as a protest against human rights abuses committed against Palestinian civilians in the Palestinian territories.

In May 2019, during a visit to Jerusalem to learn about the situation of the Palestinians in Israel, Kuzu was held up on the Temple Mount while carrying a Palestinian flag. According to Farid Azarkan, Kuzu was "taken by a large group of heavily armed soldiers". Kuzu was not arrested, however, he was stopped and released after an hour.