Mehmet Ali Birand (9 December 1941 – 17 January 2013) was a[1] journalist, political commentator and writer.
His mother's father, Şerif Bey, was of Kurdish descent from Palu, Elazığ.
[1][2][3][4] Şerif Bey settled in Ereğli, Zonguldak, and married there a Turkish woman named Seniye Hanım.
[6] He also authored several books including 30 Sıcak Gün, Diyet, Türkiye'nin Avrupa Macerası, 12 Eylül 04.00 and Emret Komutanım.
[8] Birand died on 17 January 2013 from complications of gallbladder surgery to replace a stent at the American Hospital in Istanbul.