Cemil Aksu

Cemil Aksu
Born	January 29, 1977 (1977-01-29) (age 47) Hopa, Artvin Province, Turkey
Nationality	Turkish
Alma mater	Anadolu University
Occupation	historian
Known for	discussion of Hemshin people, 2017 imprisonment

Cemil Aksu (Armenian: Ջեմիլ Աքսու, Turkish: Cemil Aksu) is a Turkish Armenian political and social activist, journalist and ecologist. Also he is a chief editor of the Hamshetsu Gor journal on Culture and History of Hemshin people and Peoples' Democratic Party local co-chairman. He is one of the critics of Turkish Government led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Life and career

Aksu was born in Hopa city in Artvin Province, Turkey, in Hamshen Armenian family.

He was arrested in 1996 for political reasons. In 2004 after getting out of the jail Aksu had entered to Anadolu University Public Administration Faculty. He had his master's degree in philosophy in Istanbul Bilgi University.

In 2008-2011 was editor of Hamshenian Biryaşam journal on history, identity, nature and political state of Hopa.

In November 2017 after his publications in social networks Aksu was arrested for «glorifying a crime and criminals» by Turkish police in Ardvin city. Before that, in 24 October 2017, his wife, human rights activist and a member of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) Nurcan Vayiç Aksu, was arrested. In 8 December 2017, after several weeks in prison, Cemil Aksu and his wife were released from prison.

Family

Aksu is married with Nurcan Vayiç Aksu, they have one son (Arev).

Publications

Aksu is an author of several books, including:

• Cemil Aksu // Karadeniz'in Sol Köşesi: Hopa // Ugur Biryol, Communications Publications, 2012
• Cemil Aksu, Meryem Özçep // Kimlikler, Çıkarlar, Siyasetler: Karadeniz Siyasetine Hopa'dan Bakmak

External links

• Cemil Aksu on Facebook (in Turkish)
• Aksu's interview for the Kolektifi ecological journal