Mehdi Zana: key obituary facts
Is Mehdi Zana dead? Yes. Mehdi Zana died on August 29, 2026, at age 85.
Cause of death: Mehdi Zana's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Mehdi Zana known for?
He was a Turkish social reformer and statesperson (born 1940).
More about Mehdi Zana
Born: 1 January 1940.
Place of birth: Silvan.
Gender: male.
Occupation: politician, human rights defender.
Nationality: Turkey.
Spouse: Leyla Zana.
Mehdi Zana, the Turkish Kurdish politician and human rights defender who served as mayor of Diyarbakır from 1977 to 1980, died on August 29, 2026, aged 85.
Born in Silvan, Turkey, on December 20, 1940, he became a prominent Kurdish political activist and was identified with the Kurdish movement in southeastern Turkey. After the 1980 military coup, he was imprisoned for more than ten years, a period that made him one of the best-known Kurdish figures in Turkish politics.