Mehmet Abbasoglu

Background

Abbasoglu was born in Buyukkadikoy in Diyarbakır as the last of 5 children of Abas and Hani Tongac who were originally from Dersim. He lost his father when he was 6.

Education

He attended the military school when he was 14 and started duty as a sergeant.

Career

He founded Democratic People"s Party in 1997. After the Constitutional Court banned HADEP, DEHAP was the continuation party. But because of the 10 percent election threshold the party could not send representatives to Turkish parliament.

Abbasoglu was sentenced to one year in prison in 2004 by Turkish courts for an alleged false documentation of DEHAP to the High Electoral Committee.

The decision by the court was thought to be a political one. On 14 April 2009 he was arrested along with 51 Kurdish politicians in Diyarbakır by Turkish police.

He was released in 2014 after 5 years. He returned to his job in Municipality Committee and continued to work until he was diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2015.

After his cancer diagnosis, despite efforts, he died in Diyarbakir Memorial Hospital on 5 June 2015.

Achievements

• At legislative election in November 2002 his party won 6.2 of the popular vote.

Membership

After retiring from army service in 1995 Abbasoglu became an active member of Kurdish HADEP. After released from prison in 2005 Abbasoglu returned to politics and served as a member of Peace and Democracy Party"s Municipality Committee.