Two more people were taken into custody as part of the wave of repression against Kurdish language institutions. This brings the total number of people in custody from Kurdish cultural and language organizations to 31.
The wave of repression against the Kurdish language continues. While the owner of the Payîz Pirtûk library in Amed, Cihat Güney, was released, two more people were arrested. This brings the number of people in custody as part of the proceedings against language associations in Amed (tr. Diyarbakir) to 31.
On 24 September, the Turkish police raided the Association for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Mesopotamia (MED-DER), the Payîz Pirtûk bookstore, and the Cooperative for Education in Language and Art (ANKA) in Amed. At the same time, the homes of many employees of these institutions were searched on the orders of the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The office has apparently been conducting an investigation into this since 2022. Books, magazines and digital materials were confiscated during the raids. A confidentiality order was issued on the investigation. Those arrested are being held in the Diyarbakır Police Department’s Terrorism Department. Cihat Güney, the owner of Payîz Pirtûk, was released after giving a statement to the public prosecutor.
More arrests and transfers
Two more arrests were made on Wednesday evening. ANKA teacher Mehmet Salin Temel and Rojda Yıldız from the editorial board of Jineolojî magazine are now also in custody. Meanwhile, the period of detention for those arrested since 24 September has been extended. According to lawyers’ reports, Belkıs Süleymanoğlu, who was taken into custody in Izmir, was also taken to the anti-terror police in Amed. Şehriban Ayluçtarhan was taken into custody in Istanbul.
