Mehmet Ali Birand | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1941-12-09)9 December 1941 |
| Died | 17 January 2013(2013-01-17) (aged 71) |
| Education | Galatasaray High School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1964–2013 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Umur Ali Birand |
Mehmet Ali Birand (9 December 1941 – 17 January 2013) was a Kurdish-Turkish[1][2][3][4] journalist, political commentator and writer.
He was born to İzzet and his wife Mürvet on 9 December 1941 inBeyoğlu,Istanbul. Mother's side he was Kurdish.Kurdish descent fromPalu, Elazığ.[1][2][3][4] Şerif Bey settled inEreğli, Zonguldak, and married there a woman named Seniye Hanım.[5] Birand's maternal uncle was a diplomat,Mahmut Dikerdem.[4]
He completed his high school education atGalatasaray High School.[6]
Birand began his journalism career in 1964 by writing for the newspaperMilliyet. In 1992, he joinedShow TV as a news presenter. Birand began hosting a political show titled32. Gün (The 32nd Day), which was first onTRT in 1985 and then moved to other private TV channels such asCNN Türk and Show TV. He also presented the daily news on CNN Türk. Before his death in 2013, he worked atKanal D, hosting the news.[6]
He also authored several books including30 Sıcak Gün,Diyet,Türkiye'nin Avrupa Macerası,12 Eylül 04.00 andEmret Komutanım.
Birand was also a member ofGalatasaray's Board and Uncommitted Governance Council.[7]
In 2006, he said thatJITEM had askedMahmut Yıldırım (Yeşil) to assassinate him, but that the operation was later cancelled, after Yıldırım had already investigated Birand's home security. Birand said that MIT chiefŞenkal Atasagun was one of those who had told him of this episode.[8]
Birand died on 17 January 2013 from complications of gallbladder surgery to replace astent at the American Hospital in Istanbul. He had been receiving cancer treatment for a while. He was 71 years old.[9]
Ben kendimi bir Kürt milliyetçisi gibi hissetmiyorum. Ben Türküm. Türk olarak Kürtlerin hakkını daha ciddiye alıyorum. Kürt olduğum ortaya çıktı ama bununla da gurur duydum.[I don't feel like a Kurdish nationalist. I am a Turk. As a Turk, I take the rights of Kurds more seriously. It turned out that I am Kurdish and I was proud of it.]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
