Turkish police arrested a total of 204 people, including 38 children, for wearing clothes in the Kurdish national colours of yellow, red and green during the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır (Amed) on Thursday.
The authorities cited the wearing of clothes with traditional patterns and colours as the reason for the arrests, claiming violations of laws against the promotion of illegal organisations and opposition to meeting and demonstration regulations, the Mezopotamya agency reported.
After being interrogated at the Diyarbakır police station and the children taken to the juvenile department, all those detained have since been released.
The arrests took place in the midst of major celebrations of the Kurdish New Year, Newroz, in the Kurdish-majority province, which have been attended by more than a million people. The police actions attracted considerable attention due to the symbolic importance of Newroz, which is often seen as a display of Kurdish identity and heritage.
#NewrozPîrozBe 🔥| More than a million people took part in the mass celebration of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in Diyarbakır (Amed).#Newroz2024 | #Amed | #Kurdistan pic.twitter.com/Nqd9TgoZ2o
— MedyaNews (@medyanews_) March 21, 2024
Ahead of the Newroz celebrations, young Kurdish residents of Diyarbakır were targeted in house raids on 19 March. These arrests were reportedly based on an investigation initiated by a tip-off to the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Following their detention and subsequent statements to the police, the 26 people involved were also released late on Thursday night.
