Leyla Zana is a prominent Kurdish politician from Turkey, known for her advocacy for Kurdish rights and democracy. Born on May 3, 1961, in Diyarbakır, she gained international attention in the 1990s when she became the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Zana has faced significant legal challenges and imprisonment due to her political activities. In 1994, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison for her alleged connections to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Her case has drawn attention from human rights organizations, highlighting issues of political repression in Turkey.