Feleknas Uca Yazidi politician Date of Birth: 17.09.1976 Country: Germany

1. Early Life and Education
2. Political Career in Germany
3. Imprisonment and Deportation
4. Return to Turkey and Parliamentary Election

Early Life and Education

Elif Uca was born on September 17, 1976, in Celle, Germany, to Kurdish-Yazidi immigrants from Turkey. She belongs to the Sheikh caste. Uca earned a medical degree.

Political Career in Germany

At the age of 22, Uca was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). She later represented the PDS's successor, The Left, from 1999 to 2009. In the European Parliament, she served on the Committee on Culture, Education, and the Media and was a member of the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Commission. Additionally, she was the coordinator for the advancement and cooperation of the Turkish delegation and deputy head of the intergroup against racism and for minorities.

Imprisonment and Deportation

In 2012, Uca was detained at Istanbul Airport for attempting to smuggle vitamin B1 to Kurdish prisoners in Turkish jails. She was subsequently deported to Germany.

Return to Turkey and Parliamentary Election

Uca returned to Turkey in 2014 and settled in Diyarbakir. The same year, she was elected to the Turkish Parliament (Grand National Assembly) from Diyarbakir as a member of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Uca and Ali Atalan became the first Yazidis elected to the Turkish Parliament.