Pervin Buldan
Encyclopedia
Pervin Buldan is a Turkish politician of Kurdish
origin. She was a member of the former Democratic Society Party
(DTP) in Iğdır
, Eastern Turkey. She is President of Yakay-Der
.
She grew up and went to school in Hakkâri, and started work as an official in the local government administration department. At the age of 19, she married her cousin Savaş Buldan
. The couple moved to Istanbul in 1990, where Pervin Buldan was a full-time housewife. One year later, Pervin’s first child, Necirvan, was born. There, Savaş Buldan became a businessman, and he was claimed to be a drug dealer and PKK financier by the National Intelligence Organization of the Republic of Turkey.
In 1993, their life changed when Prime Minister of Turkey, Tansu Ciller
, made a speech declaring that the government had a list of businessmen supporting the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) whom they would hold accountable. After that speech, Savas received a series of threatening telephone calls. The period of “killings by unidentified murderers” against businessmen, including Savaş Buldan, began.
On 3 June 1994, Pervin’s husband Savaş and his two friends, Adnan Yıldırım
and Hacı Karay
were abducted by eight policemen after leaving the Hotel Çınar in Yesilköy
. The next day their bodies were found in Bolu, at the edge of the river Melen. They carried scars of heavy torture and had been shot in the head.
Pervin Buldan gave birth to her daughter, Zelal on the same day.
In 2001 she founded Yakay-Der
, the Association of Solidarity and Assistance for the Families of Missing Persons, to help the families of missing person
s in Turkey, of which she is now president. Before this she worked for Mag-Der, an association with similar objectives which was closed down by the Turkish authorities because of alleged irregularities with respect to the Turkish Law of Associations.
Yakay-Der grew out of the experience of the ‘Saturday Mothers’, who used civil disobedience
to gain publicity and bring attention to the ‘disappearances in custody’ cases. These cases became known to the public in Turkey as well as to the world at large. Buldan has described how every week they would hold sit-down demonstrations at Galatasaray Place to ‘ask for the people that have disappeared’, to the state to talk about the ‘reality of the disappeared.
In July 2007, Buldan stood as an independent candidate in the Turkish parliamentary elections
and entered the Turkish Parliament
. She is now an MP for Iğdır. She was re-elected for a second term in the 12 June 2011 general election.
In 2008 an investigation was opened against her for a speech that she made during the Newroz celebrations in Iğdır.
In April 2010 she headed a group of MPs who demanded an investigation into the Armenian nuclear power plant
at Metsamor
, near the Turkish border.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
origin. She was a member of the former Democratic Society Party
Democratic Society Party
The Democratic Society Party was a Kurdish Kurdish nationalist political party in Turkey. The party considered itself social democratic, and had observer status in the Socialist International. It was considered to be the successor of the Democratic People's Party...
(DTP) in Iğdır
Igdir
Iğdır is the capital of Iğdır Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey, and borders Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The border with Armenia is formed by the Aras River...
, Eastern Turkey. She is President of Yakay-Der
Yakay-Der
Yakay-Der, The Association of Solidarity and Assistance for the Families of Missing Persons, , was founded on 9 March 2001 to help the families of missing persons in Turkey. The President is Pervin Buldan...
.
She grew up and went to school in Hakkâri, and started work as an official in the local government administration department. At the age of 19, she married her cousin Savaş Buldan
Savas Buldan
Savaş Buldan was a Turkish citizen of Kurdish descent involved in the Susurluk scandal.He was born in Yüksekova to Şükrü Buldan .Since 1979, he carried out activities in Yüksekova in line with the PKK....
. The couple moved to Istanbul in 1990, where Pervin Buldan was a full-time housewife. One year later, Pervin’s first child, Necirvan, was born. There, Savaş Buldan became a businessman, and he was claimed to be a drug dealer and PKK financier by the National Intelligence Organization of the Republic of Turkey.
In 1993, their life changed when Prime Minister of Turkey, Tansu Ciller
Tansu Çiller
Tansu Penbe Çiller is a Turkish economist and politician. She was Turkey's first and only female Prime Minister.- Early career :She is the daughter of a Turkish governor of Bilecik province during the 1950s. She graduated from the School of Economics at Robert College after finishing the American...
, made a speech declaring that the government had a list of businessmen supporting the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) whom they would hold accountable. After that speech, Savas received a series of threatening telephone calls. The period of “killings by unidentified murderers” against businessmen, including Savaş Buldan, began.
On 3 June 1994, Pervin’s husband Savaş and his two friends, Adnan Yıldırım
Adnan Yildirim
Adnan Yıldırım was a Turkish person involved in the Susurluk scandal in 1994.Yıldırım was born in Diyarbakır, the son of Selim Yıldırım....
and Hacı Karay
Haci Karay
Hacı Karay was a Turkish person of Kurdish descent involved in the Susurluk scandal.He was born in Yüksekova, Hakkari, to Fehim Karay ....
were abducted by eight policemen after leaving the Hotel Çınar in Yesilköy
Yesilköy
Yeşilköy is a neighborhood of the Bakırköy municipality of Istanbul, Turkey.It is located along the Marmara Sea about 11 kilometers west of Istanbul's historic city center...
. The next day their bodies were found in Bolu, at the edge of the river Melen. They carried scars of heavy torture and had been shot in the head.
Pervin Buldan gave birth to her daughter, Zelal on the same day.
In 2001 she founded Yakay-Der
Yakay-Der
Yakay-Der, The Association of Solidarity and Assistance for the Families of Missing Persons, , was founded on 9 March 2001 to help the families of missing persons in Turkey. The President is Pervin Buldan...
, the Association of Solidarity and Assistance for the Families of Missing Persons, to help the families of missing person
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
s in Turkey, of which she is now president. Before this she worked for Mag-Der, an association with similar objectives which was closed down by the Turkish authorities because of alleged irregularities with respect to the Turkish Law of Associations.
Yakay-Der grew out of the experience of the ‘Saturday Mothers’, who used civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
to gain publicity and bring attention to the ‘disappearances in custody’ cases. These cases became known to the public in Turkey as well as to the world at large. Buldan has described how every week they would hold sit-down demonstrations at Galatasaray Place to ‘ask for the people that have disappeared’, to the state to talk about the ‘reality of the disappeared.
In July 2007, Buldan stood as an independent candidate in the Turkish parliamentary elections
Turkish general election, 2007
Turkey's 16th general election was held on July 22, 2007 and resulted in a resounding victory for the incumbent Justice and Development Party...
and entered the Turkish Parliament
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
. She is now an MP for Iğdır. She was re-elected for a second term in the 12 June 2011 general election.
In 2008 an investigation was opened against her for a speech that she made during the Newroz celebrations in Iğdır.
In April 2010 she headed a group of MPs who demanded an investigation into the Armenian nuclear power plant
Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant
The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant , also known as Oktemberyan or Medzamor, was built during the 1970s, about thirty kilometres west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the city of Metsamor. The plant was constructed with two VVER-440 Model V230 nuclear reactors...
at Metsamor
Metsamor
Metsamor is a city in the Armavir Province of Armenia. Armenia's Nuclear Power Plant called Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is located in this city. Metsamor was built in 1979 to house workers from the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The power plant was closed in 1989 after an earthquake prompted...
, near the Turkish border.