The renowned Turkish sociologist and expert on the Kurds, Dr. Ismail Besikci, was admitted to intensive care at Dicle University Hospital in Diyarbakir due to a blood pressure-related brain hemorrhage.

“Our dear professor Ismail Besikci suffered a stroke while giving a speech at an event he attended today in Diyarbakir. He is currently being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at Dicle University Faculty of Medicine. His condition remains serious. Our hearts and prayers are with him,” the Ismail Besikci Foundation posted on X.

Read More: “Free Besikci”: A Call of Friendship, A Message of Fidelity

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani inquired about the health of Besikci in a call to the Ismail Besikci Foundation on Sunday. The Prime Minister wished Dr. Besikci a speedy recovery and expressed his readiness to provide all possible assistance for his treatment.

Besikci is the author of 36 books and 31 studies on the Kurdish cause, and has faced severe persecution in Turkey for his work. Initially barred from teaching and later tried for “separatism,” he received a 13-year prison sentence in 1971. 

Sevgili hocamız İsmail Beşikçi bugün Diyarbakır'da katıldığı bir etkinlikte konuşma yaptığı sırada beyin kanaması geçirmiştir. Şu an Dicle Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Yoğun Bakım Ünitesinde tutulmakta. Sağlık durumu ciddiyetini koruyor. Kalbimiz ve dualarımız hocamızla. pic.twitter.com/M9lDigXt6N

— İsmail Beşikci Vakfı (@ibesikcivakfi) September 27, 2025

Over his lifetime, he was indicted and sentenced to a total of 250 years, spending 17 years in 23 different prisons for advocating liberty, democracy, and Kurdish rights.

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In May 2023, Besikci attended the inauguration of Mustafa Barzani’s memorial in the Kurdistan Region, and wrote about the inauguration for Kurdistan Chronicle. “I felt compelled to express my thoughts on the matter. It was truly a remarkable experience to witness the unveiling of a memorial honoring a visionary Kurdish leader who devoted his life to the service of his people and nation,” he wrote.

He has also written for Kurdistan Chronicle about the Kurdish political movement in Iraqi Kurdistan, led by the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

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On December 22, 2024, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Besikci to express his gratitude for his lifelong advocacy for Kurdish rights.

The meeting was also attended by Botan Tahseen, Publisher of Kurdistan Chronicle, and other members of the team involved in the production of the book Documents of Erbil from the Ottoman Era, to which Besikci contributed.