Leyla Khaled, who was in Diyarbakır for the 1st Middle East Women's Conference supported the protest in Taksim square and invited the demonstrators not to leave the square until their demands are met.

The conference in Diyarbakır was dedicated to the memory of Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan, Leyla Şaylemez, who were brutally murdered in Paris on 9 January.

Leyla Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and she is currently in the politburo of the Front.