Turkey’s Kurdish majority city Diyarbakır’s (Amed) Co-Mayor Ayşe Serra Bucak Küçük announced that the Turkish Interior Ministry has initiated an investigation into the city’s recently reopened Zarokistan nurseries, which offer multilingual services. The move comes after the nurseries, which were rendered inactive during the appointed trustee (kayyım) era, resumed operations for the new academic year.
The Social Services Department of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality had prepared the Zarokistan Nursery and Daycare Centres for the new school year, following extensive renovations. The centres, now providing early childhood education in multiple languages, welcomed students after the completion of the necessary works.
Speaking on the ongoing inquiry, Bucak Küçük highlighted that the nursery in question was originally opened in 2015, with the municipality only overseeing renovation and revision works. “Two inspectors from the ministry have been sent to review the nursery. Our work is being constantly monitored. We are confident and transparent in what we do, but the constant looming threat of these investigations feels like the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. We wish we were in a region where local governments had more authority,” she stated.
Bucak Küçük also addressed broader concerns surrounding the government’s actions in the region: “For years, the government has cancelled numerous arts, concerts, and festivals, especially in our region and opposition-run cities. This has become a defining feature of recent years. Now, they are trying to extend this control to local governments, citing so-called austerity measures. This is the core of our criticism. It’s not just us who are affected. When austerity measures were announced, festivals in İzmir were cancelled. But we’ve observed that it’s the people who suffer from these cancellations. In Diyarbakır, where are the youth supposed to unwind? Spaces for them to de-stress have dwindled dramatically. Arts events should not be sacrificed for austerity.”
She further emphasised the city’s efforts in responsible governance: “We know full well what austerity means. Since our election, we’ve made significant savings even without an austerity directive, and we’ve increased revenues in our own municipal businesses. Do you know where we made the biggest savings? By stopping corruption and cutting off rent-seeking practices. Thanks to closing those taps, we’ve been able to save. So, while we’ve been able to save this much in just five and a half months, it’s unacceptable for our work to be disrupted by artificial austerity measures.”
