KHOYBUN

Khoybun (Independence) was a pan-Kurdish party formed in Bhamdoun,Lebanon, in October 1927 by Kurdish intellectuals of aristocratic background and living in exile. It had the close cooperation of theArmenianDashnak Party and also enjoyed some initial support fromFranceandGreat Britain. Jaladet Bedir Khan of the famousBedir Khan familyserved as the first president, and theHeverkanconfederation figure Hajo also was a leader. Its permanent headquarters were established in Aleppo,Syria, then under French authority.

Khoybun sought to establish a strong Kurdish national liberation movement with a trained fighting force that would not depend on the traditionaltriballeaders. It instigated the unsuccessfulAraratuprising of the Kurds inTurkeyfrom 1927 to 1930. In 1928, France, responding to Turkish pressure, banned Khoybun's activities in Aleppo. The party also was singularly unsuccessful in promoting itself among the Kurds in northernIraq. Nevertheless, Khoybun lingered on for many years and in some ways may still be seen as one of the main organizational successes of pan-Kurdishnationalismin the 20th century.