As part of #WomensHistoryMonth everyday I will make a new post about a Woman Leader I find incredibl
As part of #WomensHistoryMonth everyday I will make a new post about a Woman Leader I find incredibly amazing. This is Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish woman to win a seat in the Turkish parliament. She created a scandal when she spoke Kurdish on the floor of the parliament after being sworn in, even though it was known to be illegal. The Kurdish language, even when spoken in private, had been illegal for decades in Turkey and was only legalized that year due to her efforts. Although Zana’s parliamentary immunity protected her, after she joined the Democracy Party, her immunity was stripped and the party became banned and illegitimately recognized by Turkish courts. In December 1994, Zana along with 4 other MPs were detained, charged with treason and sentenced to 15 years in prison. With Turkey applying to become a member of the European Union, the EU repeatedly called for her release on human rights grounds, making its position clear by awarding Zana with the Sakharov Prize in 1995. She was also recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and awarded the Rafto Prize in 1995. Shortly after her release, Zana became active again in Human Rights issues and co-founded a new party that proposed reorganizing Turkey into a set of federal states, one of them being Kurdistan. In December 2008, Zana was sentenced to another 10 years in prison by the Turkish court. The court ruled that she had violated the Turkish penal code and the Turkish anti-terror law in nine different speeches. Leyla Zana released the following statement to the EUTCC: “The case against me is a violation against freedom of thought, and represents a threat to every Kurd in Turkey. The decision of the court is just another way to repress, silence and punish the Kurds. The mentality governing this country is that problems can be resolved by anti-democratic and repressive means and that unfair trial can provide political and social peace. But despite all this, our people will claim their legitimate rights, and will continue to struggle for this as long as it takes”. #WomensHistoryMonth #Kurdistan #GuerrillaWomen -- source link
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