Ayla Akat Ata (born 16 February 1976) is a Kurdish–Turkish[1] jurist and former member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). She is a women's rights activist[2] and the co-founder of the Free Women's Congress (KJA).[3] Besides she was also involved in the negotiations between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish Government in 2013.
Ayla Akat Ata | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| In office 2007–2015 | |
| Constituency | Batman (2007, 2011) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ayla Akat Ata February 16, 1976 Diyarbakır, Turkey |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Dicle University |
Early life and education
editAyla Akat Ata was born in Diyarbakır in 1976. Since graduating from the Faculty of Law at Dicle University in Diyarbakır, she has been working as a lawyer. She is a member of the Turkish Human Rights Association (İHD),[4] and a co-founder of the Free Women's Congress (KJA), which is organized through an assembly of 501 members.[3]
Political career
editIn July 2007, she stood as an independent candidate in the Turkish parliamentary elections and entered the Turkish Parliament,[5] joining the Democratic Society Party (DTP).[6] After the DTP was banned on 11 December 2009,[7] she joined the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
She was re-elected in the 12 June 2011 general election.[8] In January 2013 she was involved in the peace process between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Turkish Government and met with Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı prison together with Ahmet Türk.[9][10] In 2015, she unsuccessfully demanded the abolition of the article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes insulting the Turkish president.[11]
Legal prosecution
editIn September 2007, she and Aysel Tuğluk were charged with “conducting propaganda for an outlawed organization” and “aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.”[12] On the 26 October 2016, she was detained and later arrested while attending a protest against the dismissal of the Co-Mayors Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı[13] and accused of "managing a terrorist organization"[14] also due to her activities in the Democratic Society Congress (DTK).[15] She was released on the 4 May 2017.[15][13] She was re-arrested in February 2018 for a speech she gave in relation of Kamber Moroç who had died as Turkish soldiers opened fire on a bus.[16] In this case she was released in May 2018.[16] In September 2020, she was detained with other 82 politicians over accusations that she supported the Kobanî protests in 2014, which were in support of the Kurdish population besieged in Kobanî by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[17]
References
edit- ^ "Anayasada 'İki Dil Bir Bavul' krizi" (in Turkish). 6 October 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ Drechselová, Lucie; Çelik, Adnan (2019-06-27). Kurds in Turkey: Ethnographies of Heterogeneous Experiences. Lexington Books. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4985-7525-6.
- ^ a b Daudén, Laura. "In the context of life and death, non-violence is a privilege" (PDF). p. 240. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi 23. Dönem Milletvekili". Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ "Batman SEÇİM SONUÇLARI". secim.haberler.com. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ "DtP Protests: AKP Seeking Revenge for Election Results". Bianet. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ Aydinli, Pinar (2009-12-11). "Turkey's top court bans pro-Kurdish party". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
- ^ "BATMAN 2011 GENEL SEÇİM SONUÇLARI". secim.haberler.com. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ "Ahmet Türk Arrested". Bianet. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-26. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Cakan, Seyhmus (2013-01-03). "Turkish Kurd deputies meet jailed militant leader Ocalan: lawmaker". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
- ^ "Deputy Proposes the Decriminalization of Insulting President". Bianet. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Turkish State steps up pressure on Kurdish politicians". Jamestown Foundation. 2007-09-05. Archived from the original on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ a b "HDP's Akat Ata, Aktaş Released". Bianet. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ "Turkish court arrests Diyarbakır co-mayors - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
- ^ a b "KJA Spokeswoman Ayla Akat Ata released from prison". Firat News Agency. Archived from the original on 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
- ^ a b "HDP's Akat Ata, Aktaş Released". Bianet. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Turkish police detain HDP members, including Mayor Bilgen, over 2014 Kobane protests". www.duvarenglish.com. Retrieved 2020-09-28.