Jafar Mehdi oglu Valibeyov was born in 1907 in Akarak village, Echmiadzin uezd of the Iravan governorate. The Valibayovs family fought with the Armenian Dashnaks for nearly five years, suffered losses, and spent difficult days by retreating to the mountains, but they did not leave their homeland.

After the establishment of the Soviet government, the Armenians deliberately confiscated the wealth and property belonging to the Valibayovs family, causing some intellectuals to move to Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey and Iran. In such circumstances, J.Valibeyov, who lost his parents early, started his career at the age of 13 as a laborer at the Iravan cotton ginning plant. After a while, he was elected the chairman of the workers’ committee of the plant. Since 1929, he worked as the director of the Iravan Azerbaijan State Drama Theater and continued his education along with his work in production.

In 1932, J.Valibeyov was elected the secretary of the Basarkechar District Komsomol Committee, the responsible secretary of the district newspaper, in 1936, the editor of the Aghbaba (Amasiya) district newspaper, and later the secretary of the district party committee. From 1938, he was sent to the editorial office of the “Soviet Armenia” newspaper and was appointed the editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

J.Valibeyov, a hardworking man, was elected the first secretary of the Karabakhlar District Party Committee in 1947, and after working in this position for two years, in 1949, he was again appointed the editor-in-chief of the “Soviet Armenia” newspaper. He worked in that position until 1961.

In the “Little Soviet Encyclopedia” it is written that J.Valibeyov was the only person who headed the Republican newspaper, which was a party organ, for nearly 21 years during the Soviet era. In the newspaper headed by him, the events of the Azerbaijanis living in Armenia and the events taking place in the republic in general were objectively reflected.

During his tenure as editor-in-chief, J.Valibeyov visited Azerbaijani secondary schools in Iravan, invited talented and capable young people to the editorial office for certain positions, advised and insisted on imporoving their education. Honored scientist, professor M. Seyidov, doctor of physics and mathematics, professor J. Mirzayev can be named among them.

J.Valibeyov was the chairman of the State Examination (graduation) commission at Iravan Azerbaijani Agricultural Technical College for several years in a row. With his advice, a number of graduates of the technical school rose to the heights of science.

J.Valibeyov was one of the most influential intellectuals among Azerbaijanis living in Iravan. He often visited the regions inhabited by Azerbaijanis, was interested in the livelihood of the people, solved some of the problems on the spot in local bodies, and after returning to the center, solved some of them in various ministries and departments.

J.Valibeyov was a well-known statesman. He worked as the deputy chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR of the III-VI convocation. He was repeatedly elected as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR. He was awarded the title of “Honored Journalist of Armenia”, a number of medals, as well as an honorary decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR.

Jafar Valibeyov died in 1981 in Baku.

Source:
Əsgər Zeynalov, İrəvan ziyalıları (Bakı: Oğuz eli, 1999)