Mohammad Biriya

Mohammad Biriya (Azerbaijani: Məhəmməd Biriya; 1914–1985), born Mohammad Baghirzadeh, was a poet, politician, a member of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Minister of Culture and Education in the Azerbaijani National Government, chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Union established in Tabriz, a member of the Azerbaijani National Assembly, and a member of the board of the Azerbaijani Society of Poets and Writers. He was also a victim of repression. He contributed with his poems and articles to numerous newspapers and journals published in Tabriz. Between 1943 and 1946, he served as the chief editor of the newspapers Yumruq, Ədəbiyyat səhifəsi (Literature page), and Qalaba, published in Tabriz. He authored plays such as Çətirbazlar (The Umbrella Men), Ruznamə idarəsində (At the Newspaper Office), Stalingrad, Ərbab və əkinçi (The Landowner and the Farmer), Mussolini, and Hitler və Mussolini (Hitler and Mussolini). During his tenure as the Minister of Culture and Education in the Azerbaijani National Government, he ensured that school lessons were conducted in Azerbaijani Turkish, developed a new curriculum, and contributed to the writing of textbooks. For his participation in the national-democratic movement, he was awarded the "21 Azer" medal and the "Sattar Khan" order. After the dissolution of the Azerbaijani National Government, he emigrated to Azerbaijan, where he faced persecution and was repeatedly imprisoned and exiled due to his activities. In total, he spent 22 years in exile and imprisonment under the Soviet regime. After returning to Tabriz, he was again imprisoned there and spent the final years of his life in detention.