“Freedom for Leyla Zana” Campaign Launched
A campaign to free Kurdish politician Leyla Zana has been started by rights activists, among them writers Bilgesu Erenus, Murathan Mungan, Şeyhmus Diken and Ragıp Zarakolu, human rights activists Hürriyet Şener, Eşber Yağmurdereli and Şebnem Korur Fincancı, journalists İnci Hekimoğlu and Ragıp Duran.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers in Istanbul yesterday (16 March), they have called on the Supreme Court of Appeals to overturn the 10-year prison sentence, and on the Turkish Parliament to lift all legal obstructions to the freedom of expression.
The press briefing was participated in by lawyer Eren Keskin, Leman Yurtsever from the Human Rights Association (İHD), lawers Ergin Cinmen and Ayşe Batumlu, writers Erol Özkoray and Nemciye Alpay, and conscientious objector Halil Savda.
No democracy without freedom of expression
The Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court has sentenced Leyla Zana to ten years imprisonment for speeches she made. For Eren Keskin, “The aim of the campaign is to make sure that all ideas are free in Turkey. On the other hand we demand that the present impasse concerning the Kurdish question be solved and political prisoners be freed. As long as people are tried for dissident thoughts, there can be no democratisation.”
İHD representative Yurtsever read another part of the statement:
“Leyla has been given 10 more years imprisonment for speeches she made. Her file is at the Supreme Court of Appeals. Let us not allow this to happen this time. As long as Leyla Zana, and other dissidents are in prison, we will not be free.”
Supreme Court of Appeals should consider ECHR case law
Lawyer Ergin Cinmen continued: “Expression of thoughts is the most important freedom. Without freedom of expression, there can be no democracy or law. There can be no application of democratisation policies. What we ask from the Supreme Court of Appeals is that it apply the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. Laws that restrict the freedom of expression must be abolished in parliament.”
Article 90 of Constitution should be applied
“The freedom of expression is not just any freedom, it is the basis for democracy,” continued writer Özkoray. “Without the freedom of expression and thought, no democracy can be founded. The penalties under Article 26 of the Constitution must be abolished. We expect the Supreme Court of Appeals to apply Article 90 of the Constitution, which accepts the superior claim of international agreements. If judges apply this article, then we can provide freedom of expression in Turkey.”
Laywer Batumlu added that freedom of expression could not be guaranteed just with laws. “Regulations are important, but the basic issue is one of practice. For instance, no court cases are opened because of the racist slogan ‘Love the country or leave it’, but all dissident thoughts can be punished. This is a problem of mentality. There must be no limit to the freedom of expression.”
The campaign organisers called on others to support the campaign on the website http://leyla-zana.blogspot.com.
Background information
In December 2008, the 5th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır sentenced Leyla Zana, a member of the former Democracy Party (DEP), to ten years imprisonment for “being a member in a terrorist organization” under Article 314/2 of the Turkish Penal Code. The court also decided to deprive Zana of the right to vote and be elected and other political rights.
According to Ntvmsnbc, the court reached its decision in the absence of Zana’s lawyer, who could not join the hearing due to an excuse reported to the court.
Leyla Zana was in prison between 1994 and 2004 for her activities as a Kurdish activist,and an additional 2-year term for an article written in 1998 while in jail. She is famous in Turkey as the country’s first ever Kurdish woman to be elected to Turkey’s parliament.
Campaign organisers
Atilla Tuygan, Ayhan Bilgen, Ayşan Sönmez, Ayşe Akdeniz, Ayşe Hür, Barış Bayır, Bilgesu Erenus, Biriz Berksoy, Büşra Beste Önder, Can Başkent, Cengiz Algan, Cengiz Güleç, Cuma Boynukara, Cüneyt Yalaz, Doğan Özgüden, Erdir Zat, Eren Keskin, Ergin Cinmez. Erol Önderoğlu, Erol Özkoray, Ersin Kalkan, Eşber Yağmurdereli, Feryal Öney, Ferhat Kentel, Ferhat Tunç, Filiz Koçali, Günay Aslan, Hakan Öztürk, Hakan Tahmaz, Hande Demircioğlu, Halil Berktay, Halil Savda, Halime Güner, Haluk Tekeli, Hidayet Şevkatli Tuksal, Hilal Kaplan, Hulusi Zeybel, Hülya Tarman, Hürriyet Şener, Hüseyin Çakır, İnci Hekimoğlu, İnci Tuğsavul, İsmail Beşikçi, Jale Parla, Kerem Çiftçioğlu, Latife Tekin, Leman Yurtsever, Mehmet Atak, Meltem Aravi, Metin Aydın, Metin Göksel, Metin Kılıç, Mihriban Karakaya, Murat Çakır, Murathan Mungan, Mustafa Elveren, Nebile Irmak Çetin, Necmiye Alpay, Nedime Gül, Nil Demizkazık, Nilgün Yurdalan, Oğuz Sönmez, Orhan Miroğlu, Ozan Şah Turna, Özlem Göner, Perihan Mağden, Ragıp Duran, Ragıp Zarakolu, Selami İnce, Semra Somersan, Serdar Kordu, Sevim Soylu, Seydi Fırat, Sibel Özbudun, Sinan Kara, Şanar Yurdatapan, Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Şeymus Diken, Taha Parla, Taner Koçak, Tayfun Gönül, Tayfun İşçi, Tayfun Mater, Taylan Tosun, Temel Demirer, Ülker Uncu, Veysi Sarısözen, Yalçın Ergündoğan, Yasemin Öz, Yeşim Dorman , Yıldıray Oğur, Yıldız Ramazanoğlu, Zeynep Bayramoğlu, Zeynep Gambetti, Zeynep Tanbay, Ziya Yürük. (EÖ/AG)