Leyla Zana: The Kurdish MP Who Spoke Kurdish in the Turkish Parliament
- Rezan Babakir
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Who Is Leyla Zana?
Leyla Zana is a Kurdish politician born in 1961 in Silvan (historically Farqin) in southeastern Turkey who became the first Kurdish woman ever elected to the Turkish Parliament — in 1991 — and who made history on the day she took her parliamentary oath by adding a sentence in Kurdish: 'I take this oath for the brotherhood of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples.' This act — speaking Kurdish in the Turkish Parliament, where the language was officially forbidden — caused an uproar and set in motion events that led to her imprisonment.
In 1994, her parliamentary immunity was lifted and she was imprisoned along with three other Kurdish MPs, convicted of 'separatism' for her political statements and her Kurdish identity advocacy. She spent ten years in prison — from 1994 to 2004 — during which she became one of the most celebrated political prisoners in the world, winning the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 1995.
She is the wife of Mehdi Zana — the former Kurdish mayor of Diyarbakır who was himself imprisoned for Kurdish rights advocacy. As a couple, Leyla and Mehdi Zana are the most prominent symbols of Kurdish democratic resistance to Turkish state suppression.
Key Takeaways
• First Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish Parliament (1991).
• Spoke Kurdish during her parliamentary oath — causing an uproar and leading to her imprisonment.
• Imprisoned 1994-2004 — ten years — winning the Sakharov Prize while in prison (1995).
• Wife of Mehdi Zana — together the most prominent Kurdish democratic resistance couple in Turkey.
• Symbol of Kurdish political rights and freedom of expression worldwide.
Quick Facts
Table of Contents
Early Life
Born in 1961 in Silvan (Farqin) in southeastern Turkey. She married Mehdi Zana — the Kurdish mayor of Diyarbakır — and became politically active through his imprisonment and her own advocacy for Kurdish rights. She was elected to parliament in 1991 in the general elections.
Historical Context
Turkey in the early 1990s was in the most violent phase of its Kurdish conflict. The use of Kurdish language in official contexts — including parliament — was banned. Leyla Zana's act of speaking Kurdish in her parliamentary oath was both a political statement and an assertion of cultural identity that the Turkish state found intolerable.
Achievements
Parliamentary Oath and Ten Years of Imprisonment
Leyla Zana's act of speaking Kurdish in her parliamentary oath on 6 November 1991 was one of the most courageous single acts in the history of Kurdish politics in Turkey — comparable to Şerafettin Elçi's declaration 'I am a Kurd' in 1979. She knew the consequences and chose her cultural identity over institutional conformity.
Her ten years of imprisonment (1994-2004) made her an international cause célèbre — the Sakharov Prize, the campaigns by Amnesty International and other human rights organisations, and the attention of European politicians all focused on her case. Her release in 2004 was partly the result of Turkey's EU accession process.
Timeline
Debates
Her Kurdish identity and her imprisonment for political reasons are established and internationally documented.
Legacy
Leyla Zana is a global symbol of Kurdish political rights and the courage to assert cultural identity at great personal cost. Her ten-year imprisonment for speaking Kurdish in parliament made her cause known worldwide and contributed to the eventual relaxation of restrictions on Kurdish language in Turkey.
Connections
FAQ
Who is Leyla Zana?
Leyla Zana (born 1961) was the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish Parliament (1991). She was imprisoned for ten years (1994-2004) after speaking Kurdish during her parliamentary oath. She won the Sakharov Prize in 1995 and became one of the most celebrated political prisoners of the 20th century.
Was Leyla Zana Kurdish?
Yes. She was born in Silvan in southeastern Turkey and has devoted her life to Kurdish political rights.
What did she say in Kurdish in parliament?
She added to her oath: 'I take this oath for the brotherhood of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples' — spoken in Kurdish. This act of linguistic assertion in a parliament where Kurdish was banned led to her eventual imprisonment.
References
Wikipedia contributors. 'Leyla Zana.' Wikipedia. Accessed 2025.
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