Fasting For Leyla Zana In Washingto

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.etext.org>
Subject: Fasting For Leyla Zana In Washington, D.C.

American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
Press Release #29
October 20, 1997
(202) 483-6444

The Plight Of The Kurds Sparks A Fast

     A group of Kurds and their American friends who believe in
nonviolence will begin a fast for peace and the freedom of Leyla
Zana on October 20, 1997, in front of United States Capitol
Building. They will host a press conference at 4 p.m. on the
grassy area at the east front across from the Senate side.
     In Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, Kurds are discriminated against,
tortured, and murdered for speaking their own language, teaching
their children Kurdish customs and history, and most of all,
instilling in them a sense of identity.
     The purpose of the vigil is direct: to arouse a sense of
urgency within the United States Congress and the White House
regarding the plight of the Kurds and the unjust imprisonment of
Leyla Zana.
     Leyla Zana was a duly elected member of the Turkish
Parliament. She addressed the United States Congress on the
treatment of Kurds in Turkey and found those same words at the
heart of a Turkish indictment. The Turkish government labeled her
testimony "treasonous" and sentenced her to fifteen years in a
Turkish prison. Today she shares her cell, and her dreams of
Kurdish freedom, with a convicted murderer.
     The fasters and their supporters are grateful to the 138
members of the United States Congress who have become part of a
Congressional request urging President Clinton to seek Leyla's
immediate and unconditional release from prison.
     By denying themselves nourishment, the fasters endeavor to
share Leyla Zana's torment and urge the Congress and the Clinton
Administration to obtain her release.

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Tel: (202) 483-6444
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