Publisher Imprisoned For Book On Kurds

The publisher of a book on Kurds was sentenced to five months in prison after the work was deemed separatist propaganda, the publishing house announced Friday.

Ayse Nur Zarakolu, owner of Belge Publishing, was convicted and sentenced Thursday by the semi-military State Security Court for printing the book “Kurds’ Internal War.” Kurdish guerrillas have been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984.

Another prison term of six months for Zarakolu was ratified by the appeals court in July for a book she published that was written by Yasar Kaya, the chairman of the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party. The party was ordered shut down last year.

She is to begin serving that sentence Dec. 25.