PRISON NO. 5 - Eleven Years in Turkish Jails

By Mehdi Zana / Preface by Elie Wiesel A prominent figure in the Kurdish community, former mayor of Diyarbakir-principal Kurdish town in Turkey, Mehdi Zana has always pursued a conciliatory approach to the resolution of the Kurdish question. In a statement to the European Parliament in 1992 he said, "Like all the Kurds sentenced for the 'crime of separatism' I have been stripped of my political rights for life... I should, perhaps, make it clear that while I continue to campaign peacefully for the recognition of the rights of the 15 million Kurds living in Turkey, I am not part of any party or movement." This is his account of the dreadful terror of prison life with a preface by Elie Wiesel and a postscript by Kendal Nezan.  Blue Crane Books (1997)