JINHA

ANKARA – Aysel Doğan, Kurdish politician and peace activist diagnosed with cancer while in jail, has started chemotherapy.

Aysel, who has spent 17 years of her life in prison, returned from exile in Europe to her native Turkey in 1999 when PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called for a Peace Group. Aysel has recently been diagnosed with the third stage of ovarian cancer, which advances in four stages.

Doctors are calling for Aysel to be released, as she cannot be treated adequately for her cancer while in jail. In spite of doctors' reports and two separate rulings of neglect in her case by the appellate court, Aysel has begun chemotherapy while still imprisoned.

(fk/cm)