6 NOVEMBER 1991

"I am Kurdish, I will remain Kurdish until the end (of time), I am forced to take this oath and I am taking it under pressure. I am still a Kurd, I will remain a Kurd."
~ Leyla Zana.

THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

ANKARA

STATE SECURITY COURT

[Honorable Judges,]

Leyla Zana took part in the elections of October 20, 1991 as a candidate of [the People's Labor Party (HEP), which aligned itself with] the Social Democratic People's Party (SHP) and was elected as a representative from the city of Diyarbakir. On November 5, 1991, a day before the General Council meeting of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), the representatives of the People's Labor Party (HEP) held a press conference in the TGNA under the leadership of Fehmi Isiklar.

[In that conference, the HEP Representatives] distributed a press release which read, "The text of the oath composed for the newly elected representatives in accordance with Article 81 of the Turkish Constitution was prepared with racist and chauvinist considerations. The text of the oath denies the existence of the Kurdish people. This text is against democracy, human rights and peace. We, the elected representatives who have signed this press release, disagree with the content of the text of this article. But because the constitution mandates it, we will take the oath. We wish to inform the public." The defendant, Leyla Zana, also signed the press statement.

That, on November 6, 1991, defendant Leyla Zana attended the general council meeting to take the oath with a headband made up of the colors red, green and yellow and a scarf made up of the same colors. That defendants Hatip DICLE, Ahmet TURK, Mahmut ALINAK, Orhan DOGAN, Sirri SAKIK and other representatives in the HEP displayed kerchiefs of the same colors in the upper left pockets of their jackets; that red, green, and yellow represents the flag of the Kurdistan Labor Party (PKK); that by acting in unison in this manner, the defendants conspired to carry the flag of the PKK into the General Council Meeting at the TGNA.

That defendant Leyla Zana, after reading the text of the oath, shouted slogans in Kurdish from the pulpit of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. That when she was asked to reread the oath for the second time - since, due to her Kurdish slogans, her oath was considered invalid - like before, after reading the text of the oath, she shouted slogans in the same manner and said [in Kurdish], " I am Kurdish, I will remain Kurdish until the end (of time), I am forced to take this oath and I am taking it under pressure. I am still a Kurd, I will remain a Kurd."

Read the rest of the State Security Court indictment.