Turkey
Kadir Cat singing at the cultural event in Urfa on September 7, 2023. Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish singer was briefly detained in Turkey on Thursday after singing a controversial song perceived as “terror propaganda” at an event hosted by the pro-Kurdish Green Left Party.
Pro-Kurdish Green Left party’s Urfa youth assembly held a concert, as part of a series of cultural events . where Kurdish singer Kadir Cat performed a song called “Kemal Pir”. The Party’s youth assembly confirmed the detention of the singer on X.
Kemal Pir is the name of one of the founders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who died in 1982 in prison as a result of a hunger strike. Cat was accused of “praising members of a terrorist group”, according to the pro-Kurdish media outlet Mezopotamya Agency (MA).
Cat was released several hours later.
Following his release, Cat told MA that he was detained “arbitrarily” over his choice of song, adding that he had previously been taken into custody and slammed with lawsuits earlier this year and in 2010 in Aydin province and Urfa respectively for performing the same song. He was acquitted on both occasions.
“They are trying to scare us with such practices. However, Kemal Pir was not afraid, and we will not be afraid either,” he said.
Zeynep Oduncu, a Green Left party MP in the Turkish parliament, labeled Cat’s detention as “unlawful” and called for his immediate release at the time.
“They have no patience left for Kurdish artists and the cultural and artistic activities of Kurds,” she said.
The PKK is an armed group that has fought for the rights of Kurds in Turkey. It is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Under Turkish laws, publicly expressing admiration for groups labeled as "terrorists" can result in imprisonment for a period of three to five years. The act of "praising" includes showing support for such groups in public gatherings, chanting, displaying their logos and signs, or wearing clothing with their logos, pictures, or signs.
Pro-Kurdish Green Left party’s Urfa youth assembly held a concert, as part of a series of cultural events . where Kurdish singer Kadir Cat performed a song called “Kemal Pir”. The Party’s youth assembly confirmed the detention of the singer on X.
Kemal Pir is the name of one of the founders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who died in 1982 in prison as a result of a hunger strike. Cat was accused of “praising members of a terrorist group”, according to the pro-Kurdish media outlet Mezopotamya Agency (MA).
Cat was released several hours later.
Following his release, Cat told MA that he was detained “arbitrarily” over his choice of song, adding that he had previously been taken into custody and slammed with lawsuits earlier this year and in 2010 in Aydin province and Urfa respectively for performing the same song. He was acquitted on both occasions.
“They are trying to scare us with such practices. However, Kemal Pir was not afraid, and we will not be afraid either,” he said.
Zeynep Oduncu, a Green Left party MP in the Turkish parliament, labeled Cat’s detention as “unlawful” and called for his immediate release at the time.
“They have no patience left for Kurdish artists and the cultural and artistic activities of Kurds,” she said.
The PKK is an armed group that has fought for the rights of Kurds in Turkey. It is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.
Under Turkish laws, publicly expressing admiration for groups labeled as "terrorists" can result in imprisonment for a period of three to five years. The act of "praising" includes showing support for such groups in public gatherings, chanting, displaying their logos and signs, or wearing clothing with their logos, pictures, or signs.
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