Police Raid Kurdish Language Association and Bookstore in Diyarbakır, Turkey
In the early hours of the morning, police in Diyarbakır, Turkey, raided the Mezopotamya Language and Cultural Research Association (MED-DER) and a local bookstore, Payîz Pirtûk. The operation was conducted as part of an investigation led by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Several employees of the association also had their homes searched.
According to reports from the Mezopotamya Agency, police broke down the door of the MED-DER building and conducted a search that lasted nearly three hours. Kurdish language education materials, including books, magazines, and the hard drives from the association’s computers, were seized. Lawyers were reportedly not present during the search. Afterward, the lock on the building was changed, and the key was handed over to a local official.
Secrecy and Lawyer Restrictions
Many individuals were detained as part of the investigation. A secrecy order has been issued for the case, and detainees are subject to a 24-hour restriction on access to legal counsel. The investigation reportedly began in 2022 and was initiated based on the testimony of an informer, Ümit Akbıyık, who has allegedly provided false statements regarding hundreds of individuals, along with testimony from a secret witness.
Co-Chairs Among Those Detained
Among those detained were MED-DER Co-Chairs Mehmet Remzi Azizoğlu and Şükran Yakut, as well as several others, including Ramazan Holat, Rıfat Ronî, Dilan Güvenç, Nazan Çelik, Rezan Aktulum, Beritan Gurbet Orak, Berivan Duman, Ayhan Karatekin, Cihat Güneyli, Mehmet Salih Öngün, İlyas Gün, Hebun Yağmur, Mine Karakaş, Fatma İgin, and Rabia Karayıl.
Books Seized in Raid
The raid on Payîz Pirtûk bookstore, which began at 5:00 a.m. and concluded at 10:00 a.m., resulted in the seizure of 409 books and 144 magazines, including publications from Aryen, Aram, Sitav, and J&J publishers. These materials, despite not being officially banned, were taken on allegations of “promoting organizational propaganda” and “supporting the group’s ideology.” Additionally, issues of Yeni Yaşam and Xwebûn newspapers, letters from prison, and copies of Jineolojî and Democratic Modernity magazines were confiscated. The bookstore owner, Cihat Güney, was among those detained.
Arrest in Izmir
As part of the same investigation, police also detained Belkısa Süleymanoğlu Bitkin, the director of Jin Art Huner in Izmir. Bitkin was taken into custody during a raid on her home and brought to the Provincial Police Department in Çankaya.
