ZIYA BEG, YUSUF

(?-1925)

Yusuf Ziya Beg was one of the main leaders ofAzadi, a clandestine Kurdish party founded in 1923 that helped foment theSheikh Saiduprising inTurkeyin 1925. Yusuf Ziya Beg was a descendant of themirsofBitlisand commanded great influence there. Indeed, he was elected its deputy to the new Turkish parliament.

During the Sheikh Said rebellion, Yusuf Ziya Beg unsuccessfully attempted to establish contact with theKemalistTurkish opposition. He was imprisoned withKhalid Beg of the Jibran(another keyAzadileader), and both were executed in their prison cells.