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Kurdish Political Prisoner Leyla Zana Released After a Decade
in Jail
Ghost Wars: How Reagan Armed the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan
Remembering Reagan's Invasion of Grenada
Ignoring AIDS: The Reagan Years
Kurdish Political Prisoner Leyla Zana Released After
a Decade in Jail
Kurdish leader Leyla Zana was released yesterday after spending
10 years in a Turkish jail for daring to speak Kurdish and
wear the Kurdish colors in the ribbons in her headband in
Parliament. We play the historic addresses of Leyla Zana speaking
in parliament and defending herself at her trial and go to
Turkey for a report from activists on the ground.
Kurdish leader Leya Zana was released from prison yesterday
after spending 10 years in a Turkish jail. A Turkish court
ordered the release of Zana, along with three other Kurdish
legislators after a state prosecutor called for their sentences
to be quashed. Their trials have been widely condemned by
human rights groups. While Zana was released her sentence
has only been appealed, not dropped. On July 8 her appeal
begins and she could face more prison time.
Zana's release comes amid repeated warnings from European
institutions that the continued imprisonment of the four legislators
would affect Turkey's efforts to join the European Union.
After their release, Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek
said, "This is the last bargaining chip in the hands
of those who were seeking excuses in Turkey's EU bid."
Leyla Zana rose to prominence in 1991, when became the first
ever Kurdish woman to be elected to the Turkish parliament.
In Turkey, the Kurdish language was banned, publications were
proscribed and broadcasters prosecuted.
After being elected in 1991, Leyla Zana dared to speak Kurdish
in the Turkish Parliament and wear the Kurdish colors in the
ribbons in her headband. The move caused an uproar throughout
the country. She was later sentenced to 14 years in jail.
At her oath of allegiance to become Turkey's first ever Kurdish
woman in Parliament Leyla Zana said:
"I swear by my honor and my dignity before the great
Turkish people to protect the integrity and independence of
the State, the indivisible unity of people and homeland, and
the unquestionable and unconditional sovereignty of the people.
I swear loyalty to the Constitution. I take this oath for
the brotherhood between the Turkish people and the Kurdish
people."
The commotion in Parliament and uproar throughout the country
was caused by the last sentence of her oath, which she said
in Kurdish: "I take this oath for the brotherhood between
the Turkish people and the Kurdish people."
At her trial in which she was sentenced to 14 years in prison,
Leyla Zana said, "This is a conspiracy. What I am defending
is perfectly clear. I don't accept any of these accusations.
And, if they were true I'd assume responsibility for them,
even if it cost me my life. I have defended democracy, human
rights, and brotherhood between peoples. And I'll keep doing
so for as long as I live."
We play the historic addresses of Leyla Zana speaking in
parliament and at her trial and go to Turkey for a report
from the ground.
- Sanar Yurdatapan, a Turkish human rights activist and
musician. He is leader of the "Freedom of Thought Campaign"
in Turkey. He has been arrested and jailed several times
by the Turkish government on charges of supporting Kurds.
- Jonathan Sugden, the Human Rights Watch representative
in Turkey.
Ghost Wars: How Reagan Armed the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan
During Reagan's 8 years in power, the CIA secretly sent
billions of dollars of military aid to the mujahedeen in Afghanistan
in a US-supported jihad against the Soviet Union. We take
a look at America's role in Afghanistan that led to the rise
of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda with Pulitzer prize-winning
journalist Steve Coll, author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History
of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion
to September 10, 2001. [Includes
transcript]
The body of former president Ronald Reagan arrived in Washington
yesterday for America's first state funeral in three decades.
After landing at Andrews Air Force base, Reagan's flag-draped
coffin was taken on a final parade through Washington to the
Capitol Rotunda. As many as 150,000 people are expected to
view his casket before being returned to California tomorrow's
state funeral.
Vice President Dick Cheney opened the 34-hour period of Reagan's
lying in state by saying, "It was the vision and the
will of Ronald Reagan that gave hope to the oppressed, shamed
the oppressors and ended the evil empire."
What Cheney along with the corporate media failed to mention
yesterday was the Reagan administration's role in financing,
arming and training what was destined to become America's
worst enemy in the Middle East and Asia.
During most of the 1980's, the CIA secretly sent billions
of dollars of military aid to Afghanistan to support the mujahedeen
- or holy warriors - against the Soviet Union, which had invaded
in 1979.
The U.S.-supported jihad succeeded in driving out the Soviets
but the Afghan factions allied to the US gave rise to the
oppressive Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.
Today we take a look at America's role in Afghanistan and
the roots of 9/11 with Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Steve
Coll. He is the managing editor of the Washington Post and
the author of "Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the
CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion
to September 10, 2001." Steve Coll joins us on the phone
from his home in Washington.
- Steve Coll, Puliter Prize-winning journalist and managing
editor of the Washington Post. He is the author several
books, his latest is Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the
CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion
to September 10, 2001
Remembering Reagan's Invasion of Grenada
We take a look at the 1983 U.S.-invasion of Grenada that
led to the installation of a pro-American government to replace
the former rule of the leftist President Maurice Bishop. We
speak with Bishop's former Press Secretary Don Rojas, who
was deported from Grenada by the U.S. military.
In the early morning hours of October 25, 1983, the United
States invaded the small Caribbean nation of Grenada. The
fiery leftist President Maurice Bishop had been assassinated
days earlier. The initial invasion consisted of some 1,200
US troops. At the time of the invasion, a delegation of 500
Cubans were in the country.
They included doctors, engineers, teachers and construction
workers, who were there to help build an international civilian
airport for Grenada. When the US forces moved in they landed
at the airport, they killed more than a dozen Cubans and more
than 40 Grenadian soldiers. The U.S. quickly consolidated
its occupation of the island and expanded its force to more
than 7,000. By December a pro-American government was established.
- Don Rojas, the former Press Secretary for President Maurice
Bishop of Grenada from 1981-1983. Before that he was the
Editor in Chief of Grenada's national newspaper "The
Free West Indian." When US Marines invaded Grenada
in 1983, he was deported by the US military to Barbados.
He is currently the General Manager of Pacifica station
WBAI in New York.
Ignoring AIDS: The Reagan Years
We take a look at the Reagan administration blatant refusal
to deal with the issue of AIDS while thousands of Americans
were dying from the disease. W speak with Andy Humm of Gay
USA who confronted Reagan in 1987 when he first addressed
the issue near the end of his second term. [Includes
transcript]
While most of Washington grinds to a halt Friday in recognition
of the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan the offices
of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will be closed
to protest what it calls Reagan's lack respect for people
with AIDS.
Following the discovery of the first cases of AIDS in 1981,
it soon became clear a national health crisis was developing.
Scientists, researchers and health care professionals at every
level expressed the need for funding. But the Reagan White
House remained silent on the subject.
Writing in the Washington Post in late 1985, Rep. Henry Waxman,
D-Los Angeles, stated: "It is surprising that the president
could remain silent as 6,000 Americans died, that he could
fail to acknowledge the epidemic's existence. Perhaps his
staff felt he had to, since many of his New Right supporters
have raised money by campaigning against homosexuals."
Reagan finally addressed the issue of AIDS near the end of
his second term. His remarks came May 31, 1987 at the Third
International Conference on AIDS in Washington.
- Andy Humm, was present at that address and confronted
President Reagan. Humm is co-host of Gay USA, the weekly
gay and AIDS news show, for last 20 years. He was the director
of Education at the Hetrick-Martin Institute for Lesbian
and Gay Youth, which in 1986 started one of the first AIDS
education programs in the country. He joins us in our studios
today.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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