Osman Sabri

Who was Osman Sabri?

Osman Sabri, was a Kurdish poet, writer and journalist. He was born in Narînç or Narinc in what was then the eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire. He and his family were involved in the revolt led by Sheikh Said, and as a result he was imprisoned in Denizli in 1928 and after release moved to Syria and later Iraq in 1929. While in Syria, he got to know many Kurdish intellectuals such as: Celadet Bedir Khan, Cegerxwîn, Tîrêj and Qedrîcan. After the establishment of Republic of Ararat during the Ararat rebellion, he tried to join the revolt, but he was again imprisoned by the British authorities in Mosul and Baghdad. Although he was freed in 1935, the British forced him into exile in Madagascar one year later in 1936. He went to Lebanon in 1937, and became involved in the Kurdish party of Xoybûn and in the Kurdish publications in Beirut. He also took part in founding the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria in 1957 and was elected as the secretary general of that party. Due to his nationalist activities, he was arrested and imprisoned several times until 1972.