Reha İsvan (1925 – 2013) was a Turkish author, journalist and political activist. She has been known for her post as the vice president of the Turkish Peace Association. She was imprisoned more than three years between February 1982 and February 1986 due to her activities at the association.

Early life and education

She was born in Şehremini,

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, in 1925. Her father was an army officer who accompanied

Mustafa Kemal Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى , Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name ...

in his journey to

Samsun Samsun, historically known as Sampsounta ( gr, Σαμψούντα) and Amisos (Ancient Greek: Αμισός), is a city on the north coast of Turkey and is a major Black Sea port. In 2021, Samsun recorded a population of 710,000 people. The cit ...

in May 1919. She graduated from Arnavutköy Girls' High School and received a degree from the Agriculture School in Ankara.

Career and activities

Following her graduation she worked at an agriculture company for a short time and then contributed to a newspaper entitled ''Çağdaş'' (Turkish: ''Contemporary''). İsvan also worked for various periodicals. She became the vice president of the Peace Association which was established on 4 April 1977. The association was headed by

Mahmut Dikerdem Mahmut Dikerdem (1916–1993) was a Turkish diplomat, writer and peace activist. He served as ambassador of Turkey in Jordan, Iran, Ghana, and India. He is known for being the founder and president of the Turkish Peace Association which was banne ...

and was closed shortly before the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

on 12 September 1980. She was arrested and jailed in the Metris military prison, Istanbul, on 26 February 1982. She remained in prison until 17 February 1986 without a conviction. Then she and her husband settled in Taşköprü where they involved in agricultural activities at their farm. İsvan published a book entitled ''Gün Olur Devran Döner'' (Turkish: ''Every Cloud has a Silver Lining''). Zeynep Oral published Reha İsvan's

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

which focused on her imprisonment.

Personal life and death

Her husband was Ahmet İsvan, a social democrat politician. They married in 1950 and had three children. She died in Yalova on 8 May 2013. Her funeral prayers were performed at the Levent Mosque, Istanbul, and she was buried in Taşköprü, Yalova.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:İsvan, Reha 20th-century Turkish journalists 20th-century Turkish women writers 1925 births 2013 deaths Ankara University alumni Turkish prisoners and detainees Turkish farmers Journalists from Istanbul Turkish women journalists Turkish non-fiction writers