Leyla Zana is a politician in the Kurdish regions of Turkey. In 1960, Leyla Zana was captured as a political prisoner for having affiliations with the government during a military coup in Turkey. She and her two children were held prisoner for sixteen years, and it was here where she learned Turkish and gained her political voice.
After she had been freed from captivity in 1991, Leyla Zana became the first Kurdish woman to be elected to the Turkish government. Soon after, Leyla Zana was imprisoned again on false charges of having connections to the Kurdistan Workers Party. She was imprisoned from 1994 to 2004 but was awarded numerous prizes by Amnesty International. Once released from her second stint in prison, she returned to activism, fighting for the Kurdish people living in Turkey that had no say in decisions made by the government. She continues to fight for Kurdish women’s rights, to give all women a right to freely voice their opinions and ideals.
Leyla Zana shows constant determination and adaptation. She continues to fight for what she believes in despite the amount of pain her beliefs put her and her family through. She has been able to adapt and overcome obstacles that had previously prevented her from accomplishing her goals. Despite spending twenty–six years of her life in prison, Leyla Zana has been able to keep her voice heard and available for those willing to listen. “Zana’s persistent attempts to establish a Kurdish voice in Turkey is contributing to a process of equality establishing itself through a Kurdish discourse,” (Karlsson). She even wrote from prison to keep an established Kurdish voice in Turkey for her people. Her writings empower people to free themselves from their oppressive government. Her appearance in the Turkish Parliament alone provides the necessary effect to cause change for the Kurdish and Turkish people.
Despite her being punished for her beliefs and actions, her presence raises necessary questions towards the Turkish government about the Kurdish people in Turkey.
Works Cited
Karlsson, H. (2003). Politics, Gender and Genre: The Kurds and the “West”: Writings from prison by Leyla Zana. Journal of Women’s History, 15(3), 158-160.