Mazlum Doğan
Encyclopedia
Mazlum Doğan was a member of the Central Committee of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
.
After he had finished high school in Balıkesir
in 1974 he enrolled at Hacettepe University
in Ankara
. In 1976 he joined the Kurdish student movement, which has been, in parts, the precursor of the PKK. He has been the first chief editor of the parties' newspaper Serxwebûn. In 1979 he was arrested after accusations of founding and leading a terrorist organisation, taking part at a liberation of a comrade from a state hospital in Diyarbakır
and identity document forgery.
on fire and hanged himself in order to protest against the Turkish Government. With this act he tried to awake awareness on the inhumane conditions at Diyarbakır Prison
and other jails in Turkey during the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. His suicide was the start of a number of hunger strikes and resistance campaigns run by prisoners of conscience.
Today, Mazlum Doğan is honored in the form of many commemoration days by the Kurdish Movement. The PKK has named its elite school after him and there are several Kurdish youth festivals around Europe sharing his name.
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
.
After he had finished high school in Balıkesir
Balikesir
Balıkesir is the capital city of Balıkesir Province. Balıkesir is in the Marmara region of Turkey and has a population of 265,747 inhabitants. Old name is Karesi or Karasi.- History :...
in 1974 he enrolled at Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University
Hacettepe University is a major state university in Ankara, Turkey.The University has two main campuses. The first is located in the old town of Ankara and hosts the Medical Centre, and the second is the Beytepe Campus, which is 13 km from the city centre...
in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
. In 1976 he joined the Kurdish student movement, which has been, in parts, the precursor of the PKK. He has been the first chief editor of the parties' newspaper Serxwebûn. In 1979 he was arrested after accusations of founding and leading a terrorist organisation, taking part at a liberation of a comrade from a state hospital in Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
and identity document forgery.
Suicide
On March 21st, 1982, the day Kurds celebrate Newroz by lighting up bonfires, Doğan set his own cell at the Diyarbakır PrisonDiyarbakır Prison
Diyarbakır Prison is a prison located in Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. It was built in 1980 as an E-type prison by the Ministry of Justice. After the September 12, 1980 Turkish coup d'état, the facility was transferred to military administration and became a Martial Law Military Prison...
on fire and hanged himself in order to protest against the Turkish Government. With this act he tried to awake awareness on the inhumane conditions at Diyarbakır Prison
Diyarbakır Prison
Diyarbakır Prison is a prison located in Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. It was built in 1980 as an E-type prison by the Ministry of Justice. After the September 12, 1980 Turkish coup d'état, the facility was transferred to military administration and became a Martial Law Military Prison...
and other jails in Turkey during the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. His suicide was the start of a number of hunger strikes and resistance campaigns run by prisoners of conscience.
Today, Mazlum Doğan is honored in the form of many commemoration days by the Kurdish Movement. The PKK has named its elite school after him and there are several Kurdish youth festivals around Europe sharing his name.
Literature
- Serdar Çelik: Die Geschichte des 15. August. Zehn Jahre bewaffneter Befreiungskampf in Nordkurdistan self-publishing company 1995
- Mehdi ZanaMehdi ZanaMehdi Zana is a former Kurdish politician from Turkey.-Biography:Zana started to work as a tailor in Silvan after he graduated from elementary school. In 1963 he became a member of Workers Party of Turkey . Two years later he became the head of the party's Silvan branch.In 1978 he was elected as...
: Prison No 5: Eleven Years in Turkish Jails published by: Blue Crane Books, Cambridge, MA 1997 ISBN 978-1-886434-05-9 - Mursit Demirkol: Die PKK und die Kurdenfrage in der Türkei: Entstehung, Entwicklung, Lösung (German Edition) published by: Verlag fur Wissenschaft und Bildung, Berlin 1995 ISBN 978-3-86135-057-6