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Country Advice Country Advice Turkey Turkey – TUR39230 – Leyla Zana 30 September 2011 1. What is known of Leyla Zana? Figure 1. Leyla Zana Career In 1991, Leyla Zana became the first Kurdish woman to win a seat in the Turkish parliament.1 Zana served as a member of the Social Democratic Populist Party, representing her home province, Diyarbaki.2 During her parliamentary oath ceremony, Zana spoke in Kurdish, which was highly controversial at the time. Zana‟s parliamentary immunity protected her from repercussions until 1994 when the Democracy Party, which she joined in 1993, was banned for engaging in “separatist” activities.3 According to Amnesty International, in February 1994 Prime Minister Tansu Çiller and General Güres, Chief of General Staff, „began moves‟ which eventually brought about Zana‟s trial and 15 year prison sentence, along with the conviction of three other former Democracy Party MPs.4 Zana was charged with membership of an illegal armed organization, the Kurdish Workers‟ Party (PKK), under Article 168/1 of the Turkish Penal Code.5 She was released in 2004 after the Turkish High court of appeals overturned her conviction.6 1 Gunter, Michael 2010, Historical Dictionary of the Kurds, 2nd edn, Scarecrow Press Inc, Maryland, p.310, Google Books website http://books.google.com.au/books?id=zDRGO6EgapMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0# v=onepage&q&f=false – Accessed 28 September 2011 2 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.3 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 3 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.2 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 4 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.2 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 5 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies Page 1 of 4 Zana‟s incarceration drew international attention. 7 She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 and 1998 and was awarded the 1995 European Parliament‟s Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.8 Also in 1995, Amnesty International recognised Zana as a prisoner of conscience.9 Since her 2004 release, the Turkish courts have imposed a series of prison sentences on Zana for allegedly spreading terrorist propaganda in her role as a Kurdish political activist.10 However, this has not deterred Zana from engaging in political activities. On 12 June 2011, Zana was elected to the Turkish parliament after standing as an independent, with the backing of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).11 An 11 June 2011 BBC article reports that Zana is focused on advocating for the rights of Turkish Kurds and pressuring Prime Minister Erdogan to deliver on his promise to give Kurds a „new deal‟. Although Zana accepts that there have been improvements for Kurds under the Erdogan government, she believes that more must be done. Zana also argues that there will be no peace between Turks and Kurds until „Turks acknowledge the full extent of the abuses committed during the army‟s war against the PKK in the 1990s‟. 12 In terms of Zana‟s attitude towards the PKK, the 11 June 2011 BBC article states that: She is a passionate advocate of peace in the Kurdish region, yet like all the candidates backed by the BDP, she makes no attempt to distance herself from the armed and banned insurgent movement, the PKK, and its leader Abdullah Ocalan.13 Character Zana is a resilient individual who „fizzes with energy‟, according to BBC reporter Jonathan Head.14 Although Zana published her memoirs in 1999, titled Writings from Prison, she serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.1 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 6 „Turkish court convicts Kurdish politician for speech‟ 2010, Reuters, source: The Washington Post, 8 April 7 Gunter, Michael 2010, Historical Dictionary of the Kurds, 2nd edn, Scarecrow Press Inc, Maryland, p.310, Google Books website http://books.google.com.au/books?id=zDRGO6EgapMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0# v=onepage&q&f=false – Accessed 28 September 2011 8 „Turkish court convicts Kurdish politician for speech‟ 2010, Reuters, source: The Washington Post, 8 April; „Kurdish activist and politician Leyla Zana sentenced to 10 years in Turkish prison‟ 2008, Kurdish Aspect, 6 December http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc120608KA.html – Accessed 29 September 2011 9 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.1 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 10 „Turkish court convicts Kurdish politician for speech‟ 2010, Reuters, source: The Washington Post, 8 April; Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June; Gunter, Michael 2010, Historical Dictionary of the Kurds, 2nd edn, Scarecrow Press Inc, Maryland, p.310, Google Books website http://books.google.com.au/books?id=zDRGO6EgapMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0# v=onepage&q&f=false – Accessed 28 September 2011 11 „Recep Erdogan wins by landslide in Turkey's general election‟ 2011, The Guardian , 13 June; Fraser, Susan 2011, „Kurds make big gains in Turkish election‟, Associated Press, source: MSNBC, 13 June 12 Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June 13 Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June 14 Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June Page 2 of 4 is a private person who refuses to discuss her life story with the media.15 Zana says she is not bitter about her experiences with the Turkish authorities – as that would be „unhealthy‟ – and is concerned by what she believes is the increasing radicalisation of Kurdish youth.16 Personal life Leyla Zana was born in May 1961 in Diyarbakir Province, Turkey. At age 14, Leyla married her cousin, Mehdi Zana, who was elected mayor of Diyarbakir in 1978.17 The couple have two children, Ronay and Rûken.18 Following the 12 September 1980 military coup, Mehdi Zana was severely tortured and imprisoned until his release in 1991.19 Amnesty International reports that it was Mehdi Zana‟s imprisonment which drew Leyla into politics and human rights activism.20 2. Deleted. 15 Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June; Karlsson, Helena 2003, „Politics, Gender, and Genre - The Kurds and „The West‟: Writings from Prison by Leyla Zana‟, Journal of Women’s History, Vol.15, No.3, Project MUSE website http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_womens_history/v015/15.3karlsson.pdf – Accessed 28 September 2011; „Writings from Prison (Human Rights and Democracy)‟ (undated), Amazon website http://www.amazon.com/Writings-Prison-Human-Rights-Democracy/dp/1886434085 – Accessed 29 September 2011 16 Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June 17 Butler, Daren 2011, „Kurds raise profile, gain seats in Turkish assembly‟, Reuters, 14 June; Head, Jonathan 2011, „Turkey election: Leyla Zana eyes Kurdish comeback‟, BBC, 11 June 18 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.3 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 19 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.3 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 20 Amnesty International 1997, Turkey: The colours of their clothes: parliamentary deputies serve 15 years’ imprisonment for expressions of Kurdish political identity, December, p.3 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR44/085/1997/en/743ab043-e8c4-11dd-9c6c- dfd5a453deaf/eur440851997en.pdf – Accessed 27 September 2011 Page 3 of 4 References „Kurdish activist and politician Leyla Zana sentenced to 10 years in Turkish prison‟ 2008, Kurdish Aspect, 6 December http://www.kurdishaspect.com/doc120608KA.html – Accessed 29 September 2011 „Recep Erdogan wins by landslide in Turkey's general election‟ 2011, The Guardian , 13 June (CX269196) „South by South-east: Pro-Kurdish candidates for election are likely to do well in Turkey‟s south- east‟ 2011, The Economist, 14 April (CX269362) „Turkish court convicts Kurdish politician for speech‟ 2010, Reuters, source: The Washington Post, 8 April (CX242131)
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