Ekrem Cemilpaşa


Ekrem Cemilpaşa or Ekrem Cemil Paşa or Ekrem Cemilpaşazade was a Kurdish politician and officer.
He was born in 1891 to Kasım Bey, a member of the Cemilpaşazade family, one of the important Kurdish families in Diyarbakır. He attended the military school in Diyarbakir and he followed up on his education in Istanbul. He was able to study mathematics in Switzerland mathematics from 1913 on, where he was sent by his father, to follow up on his education. After the World War I, Ekrem Cemilpasa was called to defend the Ottoman Empire. After the end of the war, he attempted to gain the support of the British diplomats for the creation of an independent Kurdistan, but his approach was not awarded. Following the suppression of the Sheikh Said Rebellion, he was amongst the 500 Kurdish notables who were deported from Diyarbakır. Later he was arrested and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In prison in Kastamonu, he taught other Kurdish prisoners French, but as he wanted to teach also Kurdish, it was forbidden. He was released from prison in 1929. He left Turkey for Syria and stayed there until his death in 1973.