AKIN Campaign To Free Leyla Zana

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: akin at kurdish.org (AKIN)

                                                                   August 1996

Dear Friend,

        We would like you to join us as we call upon Mrs. Hillary Clinton
to help validate the Kurdish quest for civil rights in Turkey. For the past
70 years the Turkish government has conducted an oppressive campaign
against the rights and persons of Kurdish origin with the aim of forcing
their assimilation. This campaign has employed terrible levels of violence
as witnessed by the "hunger strikers" whom you learned about thess past
weeks who were protesting conditions in Turkish prisons.
        Today, Kurdish cities are governed by martial law. Dissent for
Kurds is prohibited by Turkish law. This prohibition includes
parliamentarians who have represented their constituents with integrity. On
September 4, 1993, Mehmet Sincar, a deputy who represented Mardin, was
murdered. At present, of the thirteen Kurdish parliamentarians stripped of
their immunity and expelled from the Turkish Grand National Assembly in
1994, four are serving prison terms of up to 15 years.
        One of these MP's is Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish woman ever to
serve in the Turkish Parliament. As an advocate for the political rights of
the Kurds, the Norwegian Parliament nominated her for the Nobel Peace
Prize. She received the Sakharov Peace Prize this past year from the
European Parliament. Mrs. Zana was invited by the Helsinki Commission to
participate in a hearing in the House of Representatives concerning human
rights violations in Turkey. Her participation resulted in a charge of
treason in Turkey and she was tried and convicted. She is now serving a
fifteen year sentence.
        We are, therefore, asking you to sign the letter on the reverse
side of this information sheet. We will mail it to Mrs. Clinton, and fax it
to Mr. Anthony Lake, Mr. John Shattuck and to President Suleyman Demirel of
Turkey. We appreciate your participation in addressing the violation of
international laws guaranteeing human and civil rights to which Turkey is
signatory. Thank you.

American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)

-----


Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mrs. Clinton:

        The American Kurdish Information Network is a national human rights
organization of Kurdish Americans and their friends here in the United
States. Their work performs the laudable task of educating us on the rights
we hold dear in this country and their denial to Kurds in parts of their
homeland, Kurdistan. One of those areas is Turkey. This country is holding
Mrs. Leyla Zana, a former member of parliament, in prison for exercising
freedom of thought and speech. Mrs. Zana was invited by the Helsinki
Commission to participate in a hearing in our House of Representatives on
the matter of human rights violations in Turkey. Her participation and
representation of those who elected her have resulted in a charge of
treason and fifteen years in prison. If that happened here in our country
there would be a great hue and cry from every corner of our system. In
fact, it couldn't happen here.

        The Turkish government persists in labeling those who give voice to
the very basic violations of law in their country as expressions of
"terrorism". Sweet reason does not prevail. In such cases others must make
responsible intervention. When international laws are violated it is no
longer a matter of intervening in the internal affairs of a sovereign
country. The international community has a responsibility to keep the law
strong by insisting upon the signatories adhering to what they have
forsworn to keep.

        I, therefore, ask that you pursue an approach to the Turkish
government with the support of Mr. Anthony Lake, Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs, and Mr. John Shattuck, Asst. Secretary of
State for Human Rights, to exercise some quiet diplomacy in this matter and
obtain the release of Mrs. Zana. I also encourage you to ask President
Demirel to adhere to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
to which Turkey is a State Party, as the legal basis for the release of
Leyla Zana


        Sincerely,

        ___________________________

        ___________________________

        ___________________________

Cc:

Mr. Anthony Lake, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs,
fax:(202) 456-9460
John Shattuck, Asst. Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and
Labor, fax:(202) 647-5939
President Suleyman Demirel, fax: 011-90-312-468-5026




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American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
2623 Connecticut Avenue NW #1
Washington, DC 20008-1522

Tel: (202) 483-6444
Fax: (202) 483-6476
E-mail: akin at kurdish.org
Home Page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~akin
----

"The American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) provides a public service
to foster Kurdish-American understanding and friendship"