FIRAT, ABDULMELIK

(1934-2009)

A grandson of the famous Kurdish rebel leaderSheikh Said of Palu, Firat (whose surname meant "Euphrates") became a noted Turkish politician. He became a parliamentary deputy from the Democrat Party (DP) of Adnan Men-deres in 1957 and was sent to prison following the military coup of 1960. Firat's death sentence was later commuted. In 1991, he became a parliamentary deputy from the True Path Party (DYP) ofSuleyman Demirelbut eventually left it because of its hostile policies toward the Kurds. He then spent another two months in prison for supposedly helping theKurdistan Workers Party(PKK). In truth, however, Firat was a harsh critic of the PKK, which he claimed secretly worked with Turkey'sDeep State. In 2002, Firat established theHak ve Ozgurlukler Partisi(HAK-PAR), or Rights and Freedoms Party, which continues as a minor pro-Kurdish party. Firat retired from the party due to ill health in 2006 but continued to be a prominent spokesman for the Kurdish cause until his death.