Aslan bey Safikurdski Aghalar bey oghlu (; 1881–1937), also known as Aslan bey Safikurdlu () was an Azerbaijani statesman who served as the Minister of Labor and Justice of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and Minister of Postal Service and Telegraph of

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (), also known as the Azerbaijan People's Republic (; ), was the first secular democracy, democratic republic in the Turkic peoples, Turkic and Muslim worlds. *Tadeusz Swietochowski. ''Russia and Azerbaijan: ...

, and was member of

Azerbaijani National Council Azerbaijani National Council () was the first delegated legislative body of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) from 27 May 1918 to 17 June 1918 and again from 16 November 1918 to 3 December 1918. It was succeeded by the ''Parliament'' (), a ...

and later

Parliament of Azerbaijan The National Assembly (), also transliterated as Milli Mejlis, is the legislative branch of government in Azerbaijan. The unicameral National Assembly has 125 deputies: previously 100 members were elected for five-year terms in single-seat co ...

Early years

Safikurdski was born in 1881, in the village Safikurd, in the

Elizavetpol uezd The Elizavetpol ''uezd'', also known as the Ganja ''uezd'' after 1918, was a county (''uezd'') of the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire, and later of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and Azerbaijan SSR until its formal abolition in ...

of the

Elizavetpol Governorate The Elizavetpol Governorate, also known after 1918 as the Ganja Governorate, was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Yelisavetpol (present-day Ganja). The area of the governorate st ...

. After completing his studies at Ganja Gymnasium, he left for

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

to attend

Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

. In 1905, he graduated from the Law Department of the university and returned to Ganja becoming the co-chair of Muslim Charity Society and chairman of Actors Society. Throughout his career, Safikurdski worked as the chief prosecutor in the Elizavetpol and

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

'' uezds'' ("counties").

Political career

With the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Safikurdski was elected member to the Executive Committee of Ganja Uyezd. On June 18, 1918, he was a part of the diplomatic delegation of Azerbaijan along with

Musavat The Müsavat Party (, from ''musāwāt'', ) is the oldest existing political party in Azerbaijan. Its history can be divided into three periods: Early Musavat, Musavat-in-exile and New Musavat. The party was prohibited from contesting the 1995 ...

leader

Mammad Amin Rasulzade Mahammad Amin Akhund Haji Molla Alakbar oghlu Rasulzade (31 January 1884 – 6 March 1955) was an Azerbaijani politician, journalist and the head of the Azerbaijani National Council. He is mainly considered the founder of Azerbaijan Democratic ...

, Khalil Khasmammadov, Akbar agha Sheykhulislamov which was sent to the conference in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

to seek alliance with the Ottoman government. On December 26, 1918, when the third cabinet of ADR was formed, he was appointed Minister of Postal Service and Telegraph. The third government was dismissed on March 14, 1919. With formation of the fourth cabinet of ADR, Safikurdski was appointed the Minister of Labor and Justice. He's often credited for his labor reforms and salary increased for government workers. After Bolshevik takeover of Azerbaijan on April 28, 1920, Safikurdski held various positions within the legal system of Azerbaijan, among them a position of a Deputy Commissar at the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Azerbaijan SSR The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...

and legal council to ''Azeroil Union''. He died from long-term illness in 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Safikurdski, Aslan bey 1881 births 1937 deaths Azerbaijan Democratic Republic politicians Government ministers of Azerbaijan Justice ministers of Azerbaijan Soviet rehabilitations Politicians from Ganja, Azerbaijan Members of the National Assembly of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic Russian Constituent Assembly members Azerbaijani socialists Jurists from Ganja, Azerbaijan Saint Petersburg State University alumni

Early years

Political career

See also

References