Report documents suppression of Kurdish in public space

This summary of the report titled "Report on Systematic Violations Against Kurdish Language and Culture in Turkey" was published by Kurdish Monitoring and has not been edited by bianet.

This report, prepared by Kurdish Monitoring – the Platform for Monitoring and Reporting on Kurdish Language Rights, reveals 24 separate incidents of restrictions on the use of Kurdish in public spaces, media, cultural and artistic fields, and prisons during the first quarter of 2025. Kurdish Monitoring observes and reports on violations of Kurdish language rights and informs the public. These incidents once again highlight the pressures Kurdish faces in social life.

Distribution of restrictions by category:

• Public Space: 5 cases

• Media: 8 cases

• Culture and Arts: 7 cases

• Prisons: 4 cases

The highest number of restrictions occurred in the fields of media and culture and arts. Access to media outlets such as Mezopotamya Agency, JINNEWS, and others has been blocked. When Turkish-language pages of these outlets are censored, their Kurdish-language sections hosted under the same domains are also affected. Additionally, Kurdish artists and academics have faced significant pressure.

Details include:

• The phrase “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” being deliberately excluded from the official minutes of the Parliament’s General Assembly,

• Bans on Kurdish banners or forced removal of such materials,

• Cancellation of Kurdish concerts and punishment of the artists involved,

• Prohibition of speaking Kurdish or sending/receiving letters in Kurdish in prisons,

• Suspension of accounts broadcasting in Kurdish on media platforms,

All of these incidents point to a systematic repression of Kurdish in the public domain. 

Click to read the full report

(VK)