Writings from Prison: Human Rights & Democracy | Leyla Zana

A symbol of courage, an activist in the struggle for the recognition of Kurdish identity, an advocate of women’s emancipation and democratization of Turkey, Leyla Zala is the first Kurdish woman elected to the parliament in Turkey of post military dictatorship (1991). Tolerance was short lived. In 1994 she and five other Kurdish parliamentarians were stripped of their immunity, arrested, and sentenced to 15 years in prison for statements made in support of a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish problem in Turkey. Since the arrest, a tremendous effort has been launched on her behalf by human rights organizations and the diplomatic community worldwide.