Kurdish singer detained in Turkey

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Istanbul police raided the house of a Kurdish singer in the early hours of Friday and detained him for unknown reasons, his sister said later in the day. 

"The house of singer and my dear brother Ciya Senses was raided early in the morning and he was detained. We cannot obtain information on him although we have been trying since noon," Rojda Senses, who is also a singer, said in a tweet. 

She added that her brother has worked in a way that would not cause issues, calling for his release.

It was later reported that his case had been classified. 

The siblings are among the founders of the music group, Koma Gulen Xerzan, which has promoted Kurdish music for decades. 

Kurdish singers are often targeted by Turkish authorities on trumped up charges accusing them of making propaganda for Kurdish armed groups. 

The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly found Turkey in violation of its rules for targeting members of the Kurdish community, including singers. 

Nudem Burak is another Kurdish singer who has been targeted by Turkish authorities. She has been in hail for seven years and is serving a 19-year-old sentence. 

Recently, a campaign was launched on social media for Burak's release. A list of Kurdish and Western celebrities and scholars joined the campaign, including American actor Mark Ruffalo and linguist Noam Chomsky.