ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with veteran Kurdish politician Leyla Zana on Sunday to offer condolences over the death of her husband, Mehdi Zana, state media reported.
Mehdi Zana, 86, died on Saturday after weeks of treatment at a private hospital. He had been hospitalized since August 14 after his health deteriorated and had been receiving intensive care. Medical reports said he had suffered from lung disease for a long time.
“During the call, Erdogan conveyed his condolences for Zana's late husband, Mehdi Zana,” Anadolu Agency reported.
Mehdi Zana served as mayor of Diyarbakir (Amed) from 1978 to 1980 before being arrested following Turkey's 1980 military coup and spending years in Diyarbakir Prison.
He later documented his prison experiences 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, Zana 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.
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).
Erdogan's phone call with the Kurdish politician comes as Ankara pursues a renewed peace process with the PKK.
On August 18, Erdogan signed into law legislation providing a framework for dealing with PKK members after the group disarms and ends its activities.
The law, approved by parliament with the support of most lawmakers, allows certain prosecutions and prison sentences to be suspended for five to 10 years.
