CEFTUS Westminster Debate ‘Destruction of the Near East and the Kurdistan Issue’
The Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) is delighted to invite you to a Westminster Debate on Turkey’s Kurdish issue with Dr Ismail Besikci, a Turkish sociologist, critic of Kemalism, and Kurdologist.
Dr Ismail Besikci has written extensively on Turkey’s Kurds and their rights. He is regarded as an icon for freedom of speech as he was imprisoned for 17 years on propaganda charges stemming from his studies on the Kurdish population in Turkey. For many years, he was the only prominent non-Kurdish academic who spoke against the oppression on Kurds. He studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University. In 1964, he became an assistant at the sociology chair of Erzurum Atatürk University. He completed his Ph.D. on the social structures of the nomadic Alikan tribe. He has been described as “modern Turkey’s pioneer of Kurdish studies”. He was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987. He is a PEN Honorary Member. Ismail Besikci Foundation of which Ismail Besikci is honorary chairman was established in 2012.
This CEFTUS Westminster Debate is kindly hosted and chaired by Jeremy Corbyn Labour MP for Islington North. Known for his long standing campaigns for human rights, Corbyn is a prominent Amnesty member, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, a supporter of a United Ireland and has campaigned against Gaza-Israel conflict.
The event will take place on Monday 7th April, between 7PM and 8.30PM in Committee Room 9, House of Commons. Please note that security checks are required to enter the House of Commons, so we kindly ask you to arrive at 6.30PM, allowing the event to start and end promptly on time. Please note that the speaker will speak in Turkish. However, translation will be delivered during the speech and Q&A.
This event takes place in partnership with the London Kurdish Institute.
We look forward to welcoming you at this CEFTUS Westminster Debate.
Booking is required for this event to ensure adequate seating availability. Please click register above or RSVP to [email protected]
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Ibrahim Dogus
Director