Mehmet Ali Birand

Mehmet Ali Birand
Born(1941-12-09)9 December 1941
Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey
Died17 January 2013(2013-01-17) (aged 71)
Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey
NationalityTurkish
EducationGalatasaray High School
Occupation(s)Journalist, political commentator and writer.
Years active1964–2013
Spouse
Cemre Birand
​
(m. 1971)​
ChildrenUmur Ali Birand

Mehmet Ali Birand (9 December 1941 – 17 January 2013) was a [1] journalist, political commentator and writer.

Biography

He was born to İzzet and his wife Mürvet on 9 December 1941 in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. His mother's father, Şerif Bey, was of Kurdish descent from Palu, Elazığ.[1][2][3][4] Şerif Bey settled in Ereğli, Zonguldak, and married there a Turkish woman named Seniye Hanım.[5] Birand's maternal uncle was a diplomat, Mahmut Dikerdem.[4]

He completed his high school education at Galatasaray High School.[6]

Career

Birand began his journalism career in 1964 by writing in the newspaper Milliyet. In 1992, he joined Show TV as a news presenter. Birand began hosting a political show titled 32. Gün (The 32nd Day), which was first on TRT in 1985 and then moved to other private TV channels as CNN Türk and Show TV. He also presented the daily news on CNN Türk. Before his death in 2013, he worked at Kanal D, hosting the news.[6]

He also authored several books including 30 Sıcak Gün, Diyet, Türkiye'nin Avrupa Macerası, 12 Eylül 04.00 and Emret Komutanım.

Birand was also a member of Galatasaray's board and uncommitted governance council.[7]

In 2006, he said that JITEM had asked Mahmut 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 chief Şenkal Atasagun was one of those who had told him of this episode.[8]

Death

Birand died on 17 January 2013 from complications of gallbladder surgery to replace a stent at the American Hospital in Istanbul. He had been receiving cancer treatment for a while. He was 71 years old.[9]

Newspapers worked for

Works

  • Diyet
  • Türkiye'nin Avrupa Macerası
  • 30 Sıcak Gün
  • 12 Eylül 04.00
    • in English: The generals' coup in Turkey - An inside story of 12 September 1980
  • Emret Komutanım
  • 32. Gün
  • 10 Yılın Perde Arkası
  • Mehmet Ali Birand
  • Milliyet Yayınları / Aktüel Kitaplar Dizisi
  • Nasreddin Hodja

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Birand: Kürt olmakla gurur duyuyorum". Haber7 (in Turkish). 5 December 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  2. ^ "If I were an Armenian, I would have been proud – prominent Turkish journalist". news.am. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Mehmet Ali Birand: Asimile olmuş bir Kürt'üm". www.ensonhaber.com. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b Burcu Karakaş (18 November 2012). "Erdoğan O'nun için dua etmiş". Milliyet (in Turkish). Istanbul. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Birand Ereğlili". Değişim Medya (in Turkish). 22 January 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Mehmet Ali Birand Biyografisi". Son dakika (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Yönetim Kurulu Üyeleri". Kamuoyunu Aydınlatma Platformu (in Turkish). 21 September 2012.
  8. ^ Today's Zaman, 14 May 2006, JITEM Wanted to Kill Birand Archived 30 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Prominent Turkish journalist, HDN columnist Birand passes away". Hürriyet Daily News. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.