Mehdi Zana

He began work as a tailor at a shop owned by a prominent Kurdist intellectual, Niyazi Tatlıcı.[5] In the Eastern Meetings (Doğu mitingleri) he attempted to organize a Kurdish theater tour through four villages in Diyarbakir but didn't succeed.[4] In 1963 he became a member of Workers Party of Turkey (TİP) of which two years later he became the head of the Silvan branch.[4] While in Silvan, he supported the establishment of a theater company with the aim to draw interest on socialism and the Kurdishness.[5] He also undertook journeys towards Syria and Iran, during which he attempted to extend his Kurdish political network.
Workers Party of TurkeyKurdishcoup de état in 1980Silvan, TurkeyRevolutionary Cultural Eastern Hearthsparliamentary election of 1969local elections of December 1977socialistDiyarbakır1980 Turkish coup d'étatSwedenFranceGermanyArmenian genocideSakharov PrizeLeyla ZanaDe GruyterFilner, BobCongressional RecordUnited States Government Printing Office