NESRIN BAYAZIT,
Madam, - Mr Colm O'Brien in his letter (November 28th) claims that Ms Leyla Zana is in prison in Turkey for "speaking her native Kurdish language and promoting cultural rights for Kurds". This claim is far from being true. She is in prison not for the opinions she expressed but for the actions she perpetrated.
The charges brought against Ms Zana included: participating in armed training in PKK camps in the Bekaa Valley; trying to convince the Bucak and Metinan clans to allow PKK activities in their regions and to promote the establishment of "Kurdistan"; handing over Mr Ali Dursun, who had been kidnapped and brought to her house, to the PKK terrorist organisation; delivering speeches in which separatism by violent means was advocated.
On December 8th, 1994, she was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment under Article 168/2 of the Turkish Penal Code because of her membership in the illegal organisation, PKK. Her sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeals on October 26th, 1995. She is expected to be released on June 3rd, 2005.
However, on November 28th, 1997, she was offered early release by the Chief Prosecutor of Ankara for health reasons. Her response was: individual and physical freedom had no meaning in her "struggle"; she opted to be in prison of her own free will; if an attempt was made to release her by using force or by other means, no-one would be able to prevent her from her "struggle" and separate her from friends in prison.
She wished that the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor would not take such an initiative which she sees as illegitimate. - Yours, etc.,
NESRIN BAYAZIT, Counsellor, Turkish Embassy, 11 Clyde Road,
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.