ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish leaders on Saturday offered condolences over the death of prominent Kurdish politician and former Diyarbakir (Amed) mayor Mehdi Zana, who died at the age of 86.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani expressed his condolences to Zana’s wife, veteran Kurdish politician Leyla Zana, as well as his family, relatives and friends.
In a message published on X, he described Mehdi Zana as “one of the prominent figures in the journey of the Kurdish political struggle in Turkey.”
“He dedicated many long years of his life to protecting the rights of his people and made great sacrifices along this path,” Barzani said.
President Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) also issued a condolence message, describing Zana as a “patriotic figure, Kurdish activist, and former Mayor of Amed.”
“I extend my deepest condolences and sympathies to the patriotic and struggling family of Mehdi Zana, as well as to my respected sister, Leyla Zana, the spouse of the late Mehdi Zana, and to all their relatives, friends, and acquaintances,” Masoud Barzani said. “I share in their grief.”
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani likewise paid tribute to Zana, saying he had devoted his life to the Kurdish cause.
“Mehdi Zana was one of the well-known Kurdish activists who spent a long life dedicated to the struggle of the Kurdish people,” Masrour Barzani said.
Zana died on Saturday evening in Diyarbakir after receiving treatment at the city’s private Genesis Hospital. He had been hospitalized since August 14 after his health deteriorated and had been receiving intensive care.
According to medical reports, Zana had suffered from a lung disease for a long time.
He is scheduled to be buried on Sunday at Yenikoy Cemetery in Diyarbakir, in Turkey.
Who was Mehdi Zana?
Born in 1940 in the Silvan (Farqin) district of Diyarbakir, Zana became one of the prominent figures of the Kurdish political movement in Turkey.
He served as mayor of Diyarbakir from 1978 to 1980, before being arrested following Turkey’s September 12, 1980 military coup. He spent years in the notorious Diyarbakir Prison.
Zana later documented his experiences and the hardships endured in prison in his book Bekle Diyarbakir (Hold on, Diyarbakir).
He was married to Leyla Zana, who made history in 1991 when she became the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish parliament. During her swearing-in ceremony, she added a sentence in Kurdish to her oath, an act that was illegal at the time and became a major symbol of Kurdish identity and resistance.
Leyla Zana was imprisoned for 10 years, from 1994 to 2004, over her political activities, including speaking Kurdish in parliament and alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
While in prison, she received international recognition and awards, including the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1995 and the Rafto Prize in 1994. Amnesty International also recognized her as a prisoner of conscience.
