Mehmet Bedri Gültekin

Author, journalist, economist, politician. He was born in 1953 in Gömemiş village/ Tunceli. He is from middle income family fourth child out of ten. He has completed the primary school in his village; and secondary and high school in Tunceli (1970). He was enrolled at Middle East Technical University in 1970 where he became a member of METU Socialist Idea Club within Revolutionary Youth Associations Federation (Dev-Genç). After March 12 (1971) military coup, he thought that the best thing to do was to struggle with armed forces against the military; so he joined Turkey Revolutionary Workers and Peasants Party. He was arrested on March 4, 1972 in Urfa / Siverek, put into jail and was sentenced for 15 years After spending two and a half years in Diyarbakir and Mamak prisons, he was released with 1974 Pardon.

Gultekin took part in the publication of "Aydınlık" journal in 1974. After a short while all the offices of journal were raided by police. Some of the employees were arrested and put on trial in "Aydinlik Case"; but the trial ended with exoneration. He has actively enrolled in several sections of Turkish Workers and Peasants Party after its establishment in 1978...After September 12 (1980) military coup, an arrest warrant in default was issued for him. He was arrested in November 1980 and was released in November 1984. As a result of his trial in Turkish Workers and Peasants Party Case, he was punished for 8 years penal servitude; and was banned from political rights for lifetime.

Mehmet Bedri Gultekin was enrolled in Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences and he was graduated in 1985. After he was released in 1984, he worked as editorial board member of "Saçak" magazine. Then, he started to publish the journal "2000'e Doğru" in 1987with his friends. He was enrolled in military in 1987 in order to complete his compulsory military service.

When the Article 141 of Turkish Penal Code was abolished in 1991, his lifetime political ban was removed. He became a member of the Socialist Party and was eleceted as member of Central Committee and Presidency Board at 2nd Ordinary Congress in July 1991. He became the Vice President of the Party. He was a candidate from Tunceli for 1991 Parliamentary Elections from the Socialist Party. Socialist Party was closed in 1992 by the Constitutional Court due to the reason of advocating the Kurdish problem… After this, they have established the Workers' Party with his friends. Gultekin was Central Committee and Presidency Board member and also the Vice President in Workers' Party as well. He became the general secretary of the party at the 3rd Ordinary Congress in 1994. In September 1998, a police raid to the all units of Workers' Party, with the reason of existence of some documents about the PKK, resulted with his arrest along with Party President Dogu Perincek, and he was in prison for 2 months. 

Gultekin has a yellow press card and he speaks English. His numerous articles and reviews were published in newspapers and journals such as Aydınlık, Bora, Türkiye Gerçeği, Varlık, Saçak, 2000’e Doğru, Yüzyıl, Teori, Öğretmen Dünyası, Papirüs. He has attended to several international meetings, representing the Workers' Party. Some of his papers presented there were translated into several languages and published.

WORKS (Research):

Sovyet Sosyal Emperyalizmi ve Kürt Millî Meselesi (1980), Özelleştirme Değil Kamulaştırma (Common), Devrimci Cumhuriyet’in Eğitim Programı,  Türkçenin Dünü ve Yarını (1983), Laikliğin Neresindeyiz? (1987), İkibinlerin Eşiğinde Kürt Sorunu (1993), Gelenek ve Gelişme (1998), Sultan Galiyev Eleştirisi (1999), Kürt Sorununda Türkiye’nin Çözümü (2011), Kürtçe Eğitim Sorunu (2012), Tayyip Gül ve Gülen Örgütü (2013), Batı Asya Birliği Beş Ülke Beş Deniz (2014).

REFERENCE: Hüseyin Akar / Dersim’den Portreler (1999), Vitrindekiler (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 4.2.1999), Vitrindekiler (Cumhuriyet Kitap, 11.11.1999), İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2009, V. 12, 2015).