Quick Facts
Biography
Sevim Dağdelen (born 4 September 1975) is a German politician of Kurdish origin and a member of the Left Party (die Linkspartei).
Early years
Born in Duisburg, Sevim Dağdelen finished high school in 1997, and studied law first at the University of Marburg and then at the Adelaide University, Australia and later at the University of Cologne. She never finished her law studies and subsequently dropped out to pursue her political career.
She worked as a journalist for the Turkish newspaper Evrensel and German publications Tatsachen and Junge Stimme. She was also active as a translator.
Career
After joining the Left Party, Dağdelen became a member of the regional-level party council of North Rhine-Westphalia and the federal student agency from 1996-1998. From 1993-2001, she was a member of the federal youth commission. Since 2005, she has been a member of the German Bundestag.
Dağdelen participated in the State dinner with Angela Merkel at the White House.
In 2012 Dağdelen faced criticism for signing a controversial pamphlet accusing the U.S. of preparing war against Syria and Iran. Dağdelen is also the only politician to have visitied Julian Assange where he remains at the Embassy of Ecuador in the United Kingdom.
Dağdelen was re-elected into the Bundestag for the third time following the 2013 election.
