Khoybun

   Khoybun (Independence) was a pan-Kurdish party formed in Bhamdoun, Lebanon, in October 1927 by Kurdish intellectuals of aristocratic background and living in exile. It had the close cooperation of the Armenian Dashnak Party and also enjoyed some initial support from France and Great Britain. Jaladet Bedir Khan of the famous Bedir Khan family served as the first president, and the Heverkan confederation figure Hajo also was a leader. Its permanent headquarters were established in Aleppo, Syria, then under French authority.

   Khoybun sought to establish a strong Kurdish national liberation movement with a trained fighting force that would not depend on the traditional tribal leaders. It instigated the unsuccessful Ararat uprising of the Kurds in Turkey from 1927 to 1930. In 1928, France, responding to Turkish pressure, banned Khoybun's activities in Aleppo. The party also was singularly unsuccessful in promoting itself among the Kurds in northern Iraq. Nevertheless, Khoybun lingered on for many years and in some ways may still be seen as one of the main organizational successes of pan-Kurdish nationalism in the 20th century.