Türkiye: Raids on Kurdish language associations and bookstore condemned
‘Kurdish people have the right to use their own language in public and in education and to receive information in their mother tongue. Our linguistic riches should be celebrated, not destroyed.’ Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President.
25 September 2024 – PEN International expresses serious concerns following police raids on two Kurdish associations and a bookstore in Diyarbakır, southeastern Türkiye, resulting in several individuals being detained and hundreds of books seized on alleged terror-related grounds. PEN International urges the authorities of Türkiye to respect the right of Kurdish people to use and promote their own language and culture.
On 24 September 2024, police in Diyarbakır, southeastern Türkiye, conducted morning raids on the Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER), the Anka Language and Arts Education Cooperative and Payîz Pîrtuk bookstore. According to media reports, dozens of people were detained and 409 books and 144 magazines were seized, reportedly on terror propaganda grounds. A gag order has been imposed on the investigation.
PEN International condemns the latest clampdown on Kurdish language and culture carried out by the authorities of Türkiye. As documented by the organisation, including in a 2022 resolution, most pro-Kurds and Kurdish language media outlets in Türkiye have been closed down. Honorary PEN member, writer and former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş, remains behind bars, despite the European Court of Human Rights twice ruling for his immediate release. Scores of Kurdish writers continue to be persecuted for their writings promoting Kurdish language and culture, including Yavuz Ekinci, who faces up to seven-and-a-half years in prison on bogus terror propaganda grounds for his book Rüyası Bölünenler (Dream Divided).
The promotion of linguistic rights is a central pillar of PEN International’s work. The authorities of Türkiye should permit the re-opening of Kurdish language media outlets and civil society organisations and end their persistent repression of Kurdish voices and writings.
For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org
