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Killed for singing a Kurdish folk song in
Turkey
22.2.2010 |
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February
22, 2010
ANKARA, — Young
man Emrah Gezer was killed because of a Kurdish folk
song. Kurdish politicians and artists experience
backlashes for using the Kurdish language despite
the easing of regulations in the context of the
democratic initiative.
On the International Mother Language Day, Turkey is
a country where its citizens have to fear for the
safety of their lives when singing a song in their
native language on the street.
Young man Emrah Gezer was killed by a former special
operations police officer in Ankara in the course of
a birthday party celebrated in a bar because he sang
a Kurdish song.
Blamed for PKK membership
because of singing Kurdish songs
In the first hearing of the case on 11 February at
the Ankara 9th High Criminal Court Baran Gezer
stated, "We were singing songs at the bar and
enjoying ourselves. We sang Kurdish songs as well.
Sinem Uludağ,www.ekurd.netsitting
at the table next to us, said, 'Dirty PKK members, I
cannot stay in a place together with PKK members'. |
Kurdish artist Rojda (R) had recently been arrested
for "propaganda for an illegal organization" on the
ground of a Kurdish song called "Heval Kamuran" |
He started cursing and
throwing glasses at us. The two people sitting next
to him shouted, 'What kind of man are you. Beat
them'. The waiters got in between. The owner of the
bar made them leave. When we went out afterwards, we
heard the noise of weapons. I saw Emrah falling to
the ground. A person called Serkan shot my brother
directly".
Both detained defendants Serkan and Levent Akbulut
are police officers. They conceded that the incident
evolved "because of a Kurdish song". The case is to
be continued on 6 April.
Kurdish artist Rojda on
trial
The government lifted restrictions on local radio
and television programs broadcasting in languages
and dialects other than Turkish. A TRT channel for
instance is broadcasting in the Kurdish dialect
Kırmançi 24 hours a day.
However, Kurdish artist
Rojda had recently been
arrested for "propaganda for an
illegal organization" on the ground of a Kurdish
song called "Heval Kamuran". Rojda was released
within a couple of hours after her statement had
been taken.
BDP co-chairs call for the
protection of peoples' mother tongues
A few days before the arrest, Selahattin Demirtaş
and Gültan Kışanak, co-chairs of pro-Kurdish Peace
and Democracy Party (BDP) had emphasized the
importance of protecting the mother tongue.
The Political Parties Law and the Election Law
forbid political propaganda in any other language
but Turkey in the run-up for elections. The
government announced that in the scope of the
democratic initiative measures are in progress to
allow addressing the Kurdish electorate in their
mother tongue.
Backlash for promoting the
Kurdish language
Kurdish politician Orhan Miroğlu applied to the
European Court of Human Rights after his conviction
based on having addressed his electorate in Kurdish
in Mersin in the run up to the General Elections in
2007.
Diyarbakir Mayor of the Sur distrtict Adullah
Demirbaş and the parents of ten-year-old girl M.Ö.
were investigated because the girl gave Kurdish
lessons within the scope of a Municipality Project.
The Public Prosecution did not see legal grounds to
open a case.
Politician Mahmut Alınak was handed down a six
months prison sentence by the Kars Magistrate
Criminal Court on the grounds of playing Kurdish
music on his promotion van in the run-up to the
elections.
PKK
Since 1984 PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey
(Turkey-Kurdistan) which has claimed around 45,000
lives of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas. A large Turkey's Kurdish community
openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
The PKK is considered a
'terrorist' organization by Ankara, U.S., the PKK
continues to be on the blacklist list in EU despite
court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
Last August, the government announced plans to expand
Kurdish freedoms in a bid to erode popular support
for the PKK and end the insurgency.
Although the drive faltered amid a ban on the
country's main Kurdish DTP party, street protests and PKK
violence, Ankara has vowed to push ahead with the
reforms.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency, bianet org | Agencies
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