Leyla Zana welcomed by MEPs as prison term threatened

11.49.00am GMT Fri 19th Dec 2008

Sarah Ludford with Kurdish politician, campaigner and Sakharov prize recipient Leyla Zana at the European Parliament.

The Kurdish politician Leyla Zana has been welcomed in Strasbourg to a European Parliament ceremony honouring recipients of its 'Sakharov prize' for freedom of thought just after a Turkish court sentenced her to another ten years in prison for violating the Turkish penal code and the Turkish anti-terror law through her speeches about Kurdish rights, and also revoked her right to vote and run for political office. Leyla Zana was awarded the prize in 1995 but could only accept in 2004 after release from a previous term of imprisonment.

London MEP Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman, has written with fellow MEPs to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an urging him to condemn this ruling and help uphold freedom of speech.

Sarah Ludford said:

"It is very disappointing that, as I found on a recent visit as vice-chair of the European Parliament's human rights sub-committee, Turkey's progress on democratic reforms has stalled. Such reform needs to sweep away the criminalisation of legitimate if challenging political views as well as the entrenchment of the military at the heart of state power."

"Mr Erdoyan needs to speak to Leyla Zana, not tolerate or rejoice that she is locked up. Only a political solution to the Kurdish question will unlock key reforms in Turkey, enable it come into line with international and European human rights standards, and bid successfully to join the EU as I would like to see."