Ayşe Nur Zarakolu
| Ayşe Nur (Sarısözen) Zarakolu | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 9, 1946 Antakya, Turkey |
| Died | January 28, 2002 (aged 55) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Known for | Publishing, human rights advocacy |
Ayşe Nur Zarakolu (née Sarısözen) (9 May 1946 – 28 January 2002) was a Turkish author, publisher and human rights advocate. She was co-founder, with her husband Ragıp Zarakolu, of notable Turkish publishing house Belge and, in the 1980s, became the director of book-distribution company Cemmay, the first woman in the nation to hold such a position. Zarakolu's publications brought her into frequent conflict with Turkish press laws; in 1997, the New York Times identified Zarakolu as "one of the most relentless challengers to Turkey's press laws". Issues Zarakolu helped publicize in Turkey include the Armenian Genocide and human rights of Kurdish people in Turkey. Imprisoned multiple times for her publications, she was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and her legacy continued to face legal challenge in Turkey after her death. She has received multiple awards and honors for her work and the Human Rights Association of Turkey (Turkish: İnsan Hakları Derneği İHD) bestows the Ayşe Zarakolu Freedom of Thought prize in her honor
She was born Ayşe Nur Sarısözen on 9 May 1946 in Antakya. A sociologist by education, she entered publishing in 1968 before moving to Istanbul University in 1970 as head librarian at the Institute of Financial Studies. Zarakolu wed Ragıp Zarakolu and mothered two children. Before her death of cancer in Istanbul on 28 January 2002, Zarakolu became a notable author, publisher, and human rights advocate. In 1976 or 1977, Zarakolu and her husband launched a publishing house, Belge (translated "The Document"), which published books on history and politics, as well as poetry, and in the 1980s, she also became the director of book-distribution company Cemmay; according to The Independent, she was "the first woman in Turkey" to hold such a position. In 1998, she helped found the İHD.
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