Leyla Zana Sentenced To Ten Years

The 5th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır sentenced Leyla Zana, a member of the former  Democracy Party (DEP), to ten years in prison for “being a member in a terrorist organization” under article 314/2 of Turkish Penal Code. The court also decided to deprive Zana of the right to elect and be elected and the other political rights.

According to the report by 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.  (EZÖ/TK)