Zübeyir Aydar
| Zübeyir Aydar | |
|---|---|
| President of Kongra-Gel | |
|
Assumed office 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Constituency | Siirt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1961 Siirt, Turkey |
| Political party |
People's Labor Party (1991-1993) |
| Alma mater | Istanbul University |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Religion | Islam |
Zübeyir Aydar (born 1961) is a Kurdish politician, lawyer and president of the Kongra-Gel (People's Congress of Kurdistan), which is the parliament of the Koma Civakên Kurdistan (KCK), making him the de jure political leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.[1][2][3]
Biography
Born in Siirt,[4] he graduated from the Law Faculty of Istanbul University after which he worked as a lawyer in Siirt from 1986 to 1991, where he organised a local branch of the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) and joined the first Kurdish party in Turkey, the People's Labor Party (HEP). He was elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 1991 as an independent from Siirt. When HEP was banned in 1993, he joined the new Kurdish party, the Democracy Party (DEP). When DEP was banned in 1994, Aydar fled to Belgium[4] as most party members were arrested by Turkish authorities. He has been living in Brussels since then.[4] In Europe he joined the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile (PKDW) and later the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) and Union of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK), where he became head of the legislature in 2003.[5]
He is wanted in Turkey for being "member of an illegal political party" and since October 14, 2009 wanted by the U.S. for "narcotics trafficking", along with Murat Karayılan and Ali Riza Altun.[6]
In June 2010, Belgian authorities arrested Aydar along with Remzi Kartal, Adem Uzun and Faruk Doru for involvement with financial transactions to PKK accounts. Several academic and political figures in Europe protested the arrest as counter-productive to finding a political solution for the Kurdish movement. After three weeks, Aydar and his co-defendants were released on lack of evidence.[7]
References
- ↑ "Aydar roept op tot eenheid KKK, PUK, KDP". Azady. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑
- ↑ "2 terrorists caught, 1 killed in armed clash in northern Turkey". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- 1 2 3 Jonathan Syper (3 August 2014). "Behind The Lines: Kurdistan emerges". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ↑ http://www.worldsecuritynetwork.com/documents/Zubeyir_Aydar_BIO.pdf
- ↑ "Treasury Designates Three Leaders of the Kongra-Gel as Significant Foreign Narcotics Traffickers". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ↑ "The Militant Kurds". Retrieved 23 January 2015.