Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish woman ever elected to the Turkish parliament, 
was handed an additional two year prison sentence on September 17, 1998.  
The # 1 Ankara State Security Court, headed by two civilian judges and a 
military one, cited a letter that Leyla Zana had written to People's Democracy 
Party (HADEP) titled "Belated Bulletin" for its decision.

Leyla Zana is already serving the fifth year of her 15 year sentence for her 
views on the Kurdish rights.  The three Judge panel that sentenced her to the 
new prison term noted that her remarks had "... incite[d] racial hatred."

Last November, 153 members of the United States Congress urged President 
Clinton to raise her case with the Turkish authorities and seek her immediate 
and unconditional release.  In December 1997, Amnesty International declared 
her a "prisoner of conscience."

Since then nine members of United States Congress and several members of 
European parliaments have nominated her for the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize.  
Benjamin Gilman, the Chairman of House International Relations Committee 
is one her supporters for the prize as he was and is of her release.

If the international campaign to free her does not succeed, provided she does 
not get additional sentences, Leyla Zana is expected to be free in year 2011.

While Leyla Zana was being sentenced to additional time in prison, in another 
court house, at # 5 Ankara State Security Court, the Judges were deliberating 
on the case of Hatip Dicle  --  another Kurdish parliamentarian who was also 
sentenced to 15 years in prison  --  for his article titled, "We Greet Eva", which 
had appeared in the Kurdish daily, Ozgur Politika, on April 14, 1998.

Eva refers to Eva Juhnke, an internationalist German woman, who in 1993 
had joined the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) to fight the 
Turkish army for its oppression of the Kurds.  She was captured in September 
1997, by the forces of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and handed over to 
the Turkish army in March of this year.

As it was widely expected, Eva Juhnke too was sentenced to 15 years in 
prison, coincidentally or by design, also on September 17, 1998, at another 
State Security Court in Van, Turkish Kurdistan.

In his article, "We Greet Eva", Hatip Dicle talks about the treachery of KDP 
for handing over a woman, a friend who had come to fight for the Kurds, to the 
Turkish army and reminds the readers the Kurdish tradition of protecting 
woman, even a common one, at the cost of blood.

For their part, the Judges of # 5 State Security Court found Hatip Dicle guilty 
of "separatism" and gave him an additional sentence of one year, ten months, 
and ten days.  He was also ordered a fine of $ 25.000 to be paid in two years.

Pasted below is the verbatim text of the "Belated Bulletin" that earned Leyla 
Zana two more years in a Turkish jail.
 "People's Democracy Party (HADEP)

The Belated Bulletin
Dear Friends,

The task of every political party, for that matter of every organization, is to 
inform and educate its cadres and its supporters and to prepare them for the 
future.

To do these things requires us [party cadres] to educate ourselves, to attend 
seminars and to take part in meetings and to send out bulletins [that convey] 
our work to the supporters.

The bulletin plays an important role in accomplishing these things.  It carries 
the message of the party, its understanding and its perspectives on a number 
of issues.  For a people like ours  --  exploited, its existence denied, exiled at will 
and subjected to policies of extermination  --   it is very difficult to do political 
work through established institutions.  [That said] the important thing is to 
overcome the difficulties.  In this regard, we must note that we have not 
improved ourselves from the days of People's Labor Party (HEP).  For 
example, we don't recognize the importance of party directives.  We don't seem 
to think that discipline is for us.  We say we are part of an organization, but act 
out on our own whim.  Many other things can be said [too].

We must not forget that we have brought the legal struggle to its present stage 
after a lot of hard work and the sacrifice of many friends.  HADEP, the 
successor party to HEP and its successor Democracy Party (DEP), has tens 
of its activists murdered and many of its cadres thrown into prisons.  Vedat 
Aydin, Mehmet Sincar, and Muhsin Melik are just a few of the [well known] 
names.  Our inroads in the legal struggle came at the expense of these losses 
and it behooves us to remember this fact.  For that reason, we can not afford 
being at odds with our people, and we do not have the right to squander the 
progress that we have made.

Again, we must always know that unlike the institutional parties, we rely on 
the strength of the people and our actions and courage are indicative of their 
support.

Our people will forgive our shortcomings that do not harm the democratic 
struggle or hamper the cause of freedom so long as we are sincere and well 
intentioned.  

We must know that our people will not approve those who are ill-intentioned, 
selfish, careerists, and pursue self interest.  Considering the difficult times that 
we are in and the war mongering that goes on, we must refrain from selfish 
interest and unite.

With affection,

Leyla Zana"

We deplore the KDP for its decision to hand over Eva Juhnke, a friend of the 
Kurdish nation, to the Turkish army.  We condemn the decisions of Ankara and 
Van State Security Courts for keeping alive the cause of racism in the 
twentieth century.  We urge the friends of humanity to do no less for a future 
free of oppression of man against man.