(photo)
Leyla Zana

"When governments oppress a minority, the rights of all its citizens -- not only those of the minority -- are threatened.  For the sake of democracy in Turkey, Leyla Zana ought to be freed."  Elie Wiesel, Nobel laureate

 Kurdistan is a region in the Middle East, spanning parts of present day Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey with a population that approximates 30 million people.  The Kurdish people constitute the largest ethnic group in the world without a state of their own.
 In recent years, the governments of these countries have inflicted many causalities on their Kurdish populations.  What makes Turkey different is the military and economic assistance the government there receives from the United States.
 The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey estimates that each day, on average, 17 people die from the war in the Kurdish regions of Turkey.  Amnesty International has declared a worldwide campaign to spotlight the abuses of the Kurdish people by the Turkish government.
 Yet each year the United States gives Turkey hundreds of millions of dollars in low-interest loans to buy new American weaponry, some of which is used against Kurdish civilians.  Thus, the U.S. government shares responsibility for the crimes that are committed by Turkish authorities.
 Six years ago, there was a time of hope for a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish Question in Turkey.  On October 20, 1991, for the first time Kurdish representatives were allowed to take seats in the Turkish Parliament.  However, of the 18 Kurds who were elected to the Parliament that day, one was subsequently murdered, four have been imprisoned and six were forced to flee the country.  Today, there is only cowed Kurdish representation in the Turkish Parliament.
 Leyla Zana, a human rights activist and mother of two children, was one of those elected in 1991.  She was invited by the U.S. Congress to testify on the treatment of Kurds in Turkey.  The Turkish government used reports of her speech to convict her of treason; in 1994 Leyla Zana was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
 In order to call attention to the plight of Leyla Zana, add momentum to a Congressional effort that seeks to release her from the Turkish prison which has the support of 144 Representatives thus far and change the debate on the Kurdish question from war to peace, a group of Kurds and Americans will begin a fast on October 20, 1997.  There will be a vigil from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the U.S. Capitol each day.  At 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and a 2:00 p.m. on weekends there will be a march to Lafayette Park.
 You are invited to join this vigil and to show your support for nonviolence.  For more information, contact the American Kurdish Information Network at (202) 483-6444 or www.kurdistan.org.
 Mahatma Gandhi opposed violence, saying "The good it does is temporary; the damage it does is permanent."  We agree.
 Your tax-deductible contribution sent to the Human Rights Alliance at 444 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 837, Washington, DC 20001, will be used to help support the families of Leyla Zana and other Kurdish Parliamentarians who are in prison or exile.