Press Release

July 15, 1997

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Chairman Gilman Adds His Voice to AKIN Campaign Urging Nobel Committee to Award 98 Peace Prize to Leyla Zana

In a letter dated, July 14, 1998, the Chairman of the Committee on International Relations of the 105th Congress of the United States, Benjamin A. Gilman, added his voice to the campaign led by the American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN) to have the Norway based Nobel Peace Committee award its 1998 prize to the imprisoned Kurdish parliamentarian, Leyla Zana.

"For years now," the letter notes, "I have been troubled by the imprisonment of a Kurdish woman, Leyla Zana, now serving the fifth year of her 15 year sentence in prison in Turkey." The letter goes on to add, "The authorities have accused her of 'treason,' but Amnesty International has declared her a 'prisoner of conscience.'"

Among the acts of treason that Leyla Zana has committed, Chairman Gilman notes, are her, "... testifying and petitioning for human rights before the Helsinki Commission of the United States Congress; ... [and] taking her parliamentary oath in Kurdish ... during a Turkish parliament [ceremony] broadcast live to the country, which earned her the label of 'terrorist' from the Turkish government."

Mr. Gilman reminds the committee members that, "In the light of the violations of the most basic human rights of Kurdish citizens by the Turkish government, the Turkish authorities' push to join the European Union appears unacceptable and inconsistent with the values, record, and standing of the Union."

The letter ends, "Given the intransigence of the Turkish government and the high esteem with which the world views the Nobel Peace Prize, I am writing to request that you consider the nomination of Leyla Zana for the 1998 award. The move will not only demonstrate to the Turkish authorities the international community's high regard for Leyla Zana but may also pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish-Turkish conflict."