Restrictions on Kurdish language and culture in Turkey have intensified, with at least 22 incidents reported in the past seven months, according to a report by Zeynep Durgut from Mezopotamya Agency. The bans range from the erasure of Kurdish signs to the cancellation of concerts and educational programmes.
Kurdish-language activities have been systematically targeted, most recently with simultaneous raids on 24 September on the offices of the Mezopotamya Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) and the Payîz Pirtûk and Anka Language and Arts Education Cooperative in Diyarbakır (Amed). Thirty individuals, including educators who taught Kurdish classes, were detained during the operation. While most were released under judicial supervision, Rıfat Roni, former co-chair of MED-DER, was arrested.
In addition to these raids, numerous bans on Kurdish cultural expressions have been reported. Kurdish theatre performances, concerts and even Kurdish-language signs have faced removal or prohibition. In one instance on 26 July, a pedestrian safety sign in Kurdish in Van (Wan) was erased, replaced with nationalist graffiti. In another, a Kurdish theatre play was banned hours before its scheduled performance in Istanbul.
Kurdish-language music has also been a target. Kurdish musicians have had concerts cancelled and faced arrests. On 30 September, members of the music group Koma Hevra were detained after performing Kurdish songs at an event organised by the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality.
The crackdown extends to prisons, where Kurdish-speaking inmates face restrictions. Prisoners at Şırnak (Şirnex) T-type prison reported that Kurdish was banned during phone calls, and in other cases, Kurdish books and music were confiscated. In August, 31 prisoners in Şakran Women’s Prison received disciplinary sanctions for singing Kurdish songs.
The repression has drawn significant criticism from Kurdish organisations and rights advocates, who see these measures as part of a broader effort to suppress Kurdish identity and culture in Turkey.
