Press Release

October 20, 1997

Telephone: (202) 483-6444

Plight of the Kurds Sparks a Fast!

A group of Kurds and their American friends who believe in nonviolence  will begin a fast for peace and the freedom of Leyla Zana on  October 20, 1997, in front of United States Capitol Building.

They will host a Press Conference at 4 p.m. on the grassy area at the  east front across from the Senate side.

In Iran, Iraq and Turkey, Kurds are discriminated against, tortured, and  murdered for speaking their own language, teaching their children  Kurdish customs and history, and most of all, instilling in them a sense  of identity.

The purpose of the vigil is direct: to arouse a sense of urgency within  the United States Congress and the White House regarding the plight of  the Kurds and the unjust imprisonment of Leyla Zana.  

Leyla Zana was a duly elected member of parliament.  She addressed the  United States Congress on the treatment of Kurds in Turkey and found  those same words at the heart of a Turkish indictment.  The Turkish  government labeled her testimony "treasonous" and sentenced her to  fifteen years in a Turkish prison.  Today she shares her cell, and her  dreams of Kurdish freedom, with a convicted murderer.  

The fasters and their supporters are grateful to 136 members of the  United States Congress who have become part of a Congressional request  urging President Clinton to seek Leyla's immediate and unconditional  release from prison.

By denying themselves nourishment, the fasters endeavor to share Leyla  Zana's torment and urge the Congress and the Clinton Administration to  obtain her release.