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.