Leyla Zana is a Kurdish politician. She was imprisoned for ten years for her political activism, which was deemed by the Turkish courts to be against the unity of the country. She was awarded the 1995 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament but was unable to collect it until her release in 2004. She was also awarded the Rafto Prize in 1994 after being recognized by the Rafto Foundation for being incarcerated for her peaceful struggle for the human rights of the Kurdish people in Turkey and the neighbouring countries.
Zana in 2007
Leyla Zana, 2010
The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. According to various estimates, they compose between 15% and 20% of the population of Turkey. There are Kurds living in various provinces of Turkey, but they are primarily concentrated in the east and southeast of the country within the region viewed by Kurds as Turkish Kurdistan.
Kurdish Anatolian carpet, early 19th century.
Kurdish mother and child, Van, Turkey. 1973
Iraqi Kurds fleeing to Turkey in April 1991, during the Gulf War
Kurds protesting the Siege of Kobanî, 29 September 2014