A new grassroots platform in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakır (Amed) has warned that the rising prevalence of drug addiction among young people is not merely a public health crisis, but part of what it calls a “special warfare policy” targeting Kurdish society.
Launched this week, the Şiyar Be! Platforma Tekoşîna Li Dijî Tiryakê (“Be Aware! Platform for the Struggle against Drug Use”) has received backing from several local civil society organisations. Its members argue that the spread of narcotics is being used as a political tool to suppress Kurdish cultural identity, dismantle community structures and demobilise youth activism.
“We see drugs not only as an addiction but as a tool to pacify society,” said platform member Dilek Akyapı. “This is not just a health problem – it is a matter of public will.”
The platform contends that the Turkish state’s approach, which focuses on treatment and criminalisation, fails to address the deeper social and political roots of addiction. Instead, it promotes what members describe as a holistic strategy that combines cultural revival, political education and grassroots organisation.
Fellow member Şerefhan Aydın described the situation as “a structural part of the war on Kurdish society,” citing incidents of children as young as nine reportedly using drugs in parts of Diyarbakır. He pointed to media reports implicating state officials—including police and judicial figures—in the local drug trade.
“If the state was serious about stopping this, it would crack down. Instead, it turns a blind eye,” Aydın said. “Addiction has become part of a systemic strategy of destruction.”
The Şiyar Be! platform says it plans to counter this through education, community-based solidarity initiatives and the creation of safe spaces for collective discussion and organising. Its proposed activities include cultural programmes for young people, neighbourhood solidarity zones and public awareness campaigns designed to reduce stigma and promote dialogue.
“Remaining silent only exacerbates the problem,” said Akyapı. “We need to make addiction visible and break the taboo through public discussion.”
The group has also criticised restrictive state security policies, arguing that they undermine grassroots prevention efforts and deter schools and local authorities from working with community organisations.
Akyapı cited the success of community-led anti-addiction strategies in countries like Iceland and Portugal, though she stressed the need to adapt such models to the political realities of Kurdistan. “We lack resources, yes. But an organised society can overcome that with creativity and solidarity,” she said.
The platform calls on individuals from all professions—teachers, artists, architects and engineers—each to contribute in their own capacity. “A teacher can hold a seminar, an artist can run a workshop, an architect can help reclaim abandoned buildings,” said Aydın. “This is a collective problem and needs a collective solution.”
Şiyar Be! members say their first actions will begin in the coming weeks, including educational events and drives for neighbourhood organisation. “We believe that when there is awareness, even the most powerful systems can be challenged,” Aydın said. “Resistance begins with consciousness – and that’s what we’re building.”
