Kathmandu. The year 2024 will be remembered for different reasons. This year has witnessed the beginning of many good deeds. Some incidents have reduced the happy act to memory and turned it into a mere grim history. Such events that have reduced the names of some important personalities who left the world in 2024 are presented here
Jimmy Carter
The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, passed away on December 30, 2024, at the age of 100. Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer who won the presidency after the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War, redefined life as a global humanitarian after his tenure in the White House.
The longest-lived US president died about 22 months after entering hospice care in the small town of Plains, Georgia. He and his wife Rosalynn spent most of their lives in Plains. Rosalynn died in November 2023 at the age of 96.
Former US President Jimmy Carter, founder of the Carter Center, has died peacefully at home amid age-related complications, his family said. US President Joe Biden said the world had lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and that he had lost a dear friend. The world will remember him for his work in eradicating disease, building peace, advancing civil and human rights, promoting free and fair elections around the world and helping the homeless. Carter channeled his ambition with profound wisdom, deep religious faith and an extraordinary work ethic. He conducted diplomatic missions into his 80s and built homes for the poor in his 90s.
Born on October 1, 1924, Carter was an American politician, author and member of the Democratic Party. He served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Alberto Fujimori
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who was convicted of human rights abuses and corruption, died on September 21. The former president died after a long battle with cancer. He had cancer of the tongue. Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000, was forced to leave power due to corruption allegations. During his presidency, he took a tough stance against a left-wing guerrilla insurgency. Some accused it of human rights violations. But there are also groups who praise Fujimori for defeating the rebels when it seemed possible to seize power.
Alexei Navalny
Alexei Navalny, who has built the image of the most prominent opposition leader in Russia in the last decade, died in prison on February 18, 2024, the Russian prison administration said. Navalny, considered one of the harshest critics of the Russian president, was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Some have suggested that the charges against him were politically motivated. He was transferred to one of Russia’s most difficult prisons, the Arctic Penal Colony, about a year before his death.
Navalny appeared in a video of his court hearing on February 17, the day before his death. At the time, he appeared fine and smiling, according to Navalny’s supporters. Prison authorities said that Navalny had fainted during a trip on February 16 and that emergency services were called for treatment, but could not be saved.
Navalny was attacked in August 2020 with a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok. He fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow, forcing an emergency landing. Navalny was arrested shortly after returning to Russia after receiving treatment in Germany and remained in Russian custody until his death. Investigations by some investigative journalists have shown that Navalny’s claims that he was attacked with a nerve agent were true.
Navalny was one of the most vocal critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Navalny, who died at the age of 47, had accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being corrupt. He was also an anti-corruption campaigner. He tried to run in the 2018 presidential election but was disqualified on charges of financial embezzlement. He has a reputation as an outspoken blogger and is followed by millions of Russians on social media, and in 2020 some of his supporters were elected to local elections in Siberia.
In February 2021, Navalny was jailed for violating a 2014 sentence. He was accused of failing to regularly report his condition to the police in 2020. His lawyers said it was ridiculous to bring such charges against him, despite the fact that he was receiving emergency treatment for a nerve agent attack in Siberia.
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on December 26, 2024 due to age-related health problems, but he died on the same day at the age of 92 during treatment.
He led India as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. An economist who made special contributions to India’s economic reforms, Singh played a key role in liberalizing India’s economy in 1991 as Finance Minister. India’s economic growth was high during his tenure. He is remembered by India as well as the world for his simple, humble and effective leadership.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while paying tribute to Singh, recalled his past and said that he always ‘reflected wisdom and humility’ in their interactions and said that during his tenure, there were ‘extensive efforts to improve the lives of Indian citizens’.
He was the first Indian leader after Jawaharlal Nehru to complete his first term and be re-elected as Prime Minister. His second term was marked by widespread allegations of corruption.
Singh was born on September 26, 1932, in a remote village in the pre-partition Punjab province of India (now Pakistan). There was a shortage of water and electricity. After studying at the University of the Punjab, he went to Cambridge University in the UK for his master’s degree and later graduated from Oxford.
He worked to cut taxes, devalue the rupee, privatize state-run companies, and encourage foreign investment. This led to a recovery in the economy and rapid industrial growth. Rising inflation was controlled and growth rates remained high throughout the 1990s.
The biggest success of Singh’s first term as prime minister was seen as the nuclear deal with the United States. Under his leadership, the historic deal gave India access to American nuclear technology. Left parties that had supported Singh’s government withdrew their support for the deal.
Sitaram Yechury
Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), who suffered from respiratory problems towards the end of his life, died on September 12 at the age of 72 while undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Born on August 12, 1952 in Chennai, India, Yechury was an influential leader in Indian politics.
He had been the general secretary of the Communist Party since 2015. Yechury, who entered politics since his student days, was an influential leader of the Students Federation of India (SFI) at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was active in the cause of civil rights and leftist ideology during the Emergency imposed from 1975 to 1977 during the rule of Indira Gandhi. Yechury represented West Bengal as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India, from August 19, 2005 to August 18, 2017.
Natwar Singh
Former External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Natwar Singh, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1984, has died at the age of 93. He started his career in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1953 and entered politics in the 1980s.
He served as the Minister of State for Steel, Mines, Coal and Agriculture under former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Considered an adept in diplomacy and politics, he was suspended by the Congress in 2006 after being implicated in the oil-related food scam. Later, in 2008, he joined the Bahujan Samaj Party, but was expelled from that party four months later.
Ratan Tata
Ratan Naval Tata is the name of an Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He served as the chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012 and served as its interim chairman from October 2016 to February 2017. In 2000, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award. Tata received many accolades for his work, including the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.
Born on December 28, 1937, he died on October 9, 2024 at the age of 86. Under his leadership, the company took on a global dimension. Under his leadership, Tata acquired iconic brands such as Corus, Tetley and Jaguar Land Rover. Tata’s visionary leadership and commitment to corporate social responsibility are said to have brought about improvements in the corporate world in India.
Three Indian musicians
Musician Utsad Rashid Khan, who was awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, died on January 9, 2024 at the young age of 55. The Hindustani classical singer was known for his jugalbandi and mastery of Indian classical music styles such as khyal and thumri.
Tabla player Zakir Hussain died at the age of 73. Known for redefining Indian classical music, Hussain effortlessly blended traditional tabla rhythms with global styles, earning him widespread acclaim. A four-time Grammy winner, he made significant contributions as a tabla maestro, composer, music producer, actor, and teacher.
Ebrahim Raisi
President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi (Sayyed Ebrahim Rasool Sadati)
He died in a helicopter crash on May 19. He died at the age of 63 after a helicopter crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. He was considered the successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Fethullah Gulen
Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim cleric living in the United States who is accused of leading an Islamist movement called Hizmet, leading a “terrorist” group and leading a failed coup to overthrow the government of strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, died on October 20.
Ankara has accused Gulen of being the main mastermind of the 2016 failed coup. Gulen, 83, died in hospital while receiving treatment. Gulen had lived in Pennsylvania since 1999. The administration stripped him of his Turkish citizenship in 2017. Gulen had built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkey and beyond. He was accused of attempting a coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ismail Haniyeh
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an “Israeli attack” on July 31. He was killed in Iran. The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards have claimed that he was killed in a false Israeli attack. Haniyeh was attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president when his residence in Tehran was attacked as he left the venue.
Hassan Nasrallah
Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah died on September 27. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Israel held the 64-year-old Nasrallah responsible for the killing of dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians. Nasrallah, a religious scholar who leads Hezbollah in Lebanon, has played a decisive role in the group’s history.
Yahya Sinwar
Yahya Sinwar, the political chief of Hamas, who was killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza, was the mastermind behind the devastating attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike on October 16, exactly one year after Hamas launched its attack on Israel. Sinwar, who had previously wielded strong influence within Hamas after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed last July, was elected political chief. Sinwar, who has been the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 2017, was unanimously given the responsibility of leading the group’s political department.
Sinwar is considered an extremist leader. It is said that dozens of attempts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza have failed due to his nature. Sinwar was previously the head of Hamas’s political unit in the Gaza Strip. Born in 1962, Sinwar was also the founder of Hamas’ security service, Mazd.