He grew up in a Kurdish family deeply affected by the region's political and cultural tensions, which shaped his future as an activist.
Yılmaz became one of the founding members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the 1970s, a period of intense Kurdish resistance against Turkish state policies.
However, by the early 2000s, Yılmaz parted ways with the PKK due to ideological differences, citing concerns over the organization's direction under Abdullah Öcalan's leadership.
His assassination remains controversial, with different sources attributing the attack to rival groups due to his prominent role in Kurdish politics.
His death marked a significant loss for the Kurdish independence movement, and many leaders across the region publicly mourned his passing.