PEN Norway issued a statement to express its profound concern over the recent raids conducted by Turkish police on the Mesopotamian Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) and the Payîz Pirtûk bookshop in Diyarbakır on 24-09-2024.

The statement underlined that these actions not only violate fundamental human rights but also represent a severe assault on the linguistic and cultural rights of the Kurdish people.

Pen Norway added: The raids, which included the detention of several MED-DER members and the seizure of educational materials in Kurdish dialects, signify a troubling trend of systematic repression against institutions dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Kurdish language and culture. The cultural research centre of MED-DER has long been a cornerstone in the efforts to uphold and foster the linguistic heritage of the Kurdish community, offering invaluable resources and courses in the Kurmanji dialect. The targeting of such institutions is a direct affront to the linguistic rights that PEN as a whole upholds and defends around the world, and undermines the principle of first-language education, which is crucial for cultural identity and continuity.

Ömer Fidan, co-chair of the Kurdish PEN Center, asked for support from the PEN network, saying: As far as I could learn, 25 people were detained in Amed/Diyabakır. These are all close friends of mine who I personally work with, see almost every day, and work on the Kurdish language. I have worked for years for all the civil society organizations mentioned and continue to do so. As the Kurdish PEN Center, we hope that you, our valuable rights defenders, will not withhold your support. We wish that you, our valuable friends, will also support us and join us as the PEN international family and add your voice to ours.

Pen Norway noted that linguistic rights are human rights and are enshrined not only in the PEN Girona Manifesto on linguistic rights, but also in the constitution of Turkey, and the linguistic right of giving defence in court in one’s own language is also enshrined in Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, in the right to a fair trial. It is imperative that the authorities in Turkey take immediate steps to ensure the protection of these rights, fostering an inclusive society where diversity is celebrated, not suppressed. We call upon international human rights organisations and advocates to join us in condemning these actions and to demand accountability and respect for the linguistic rights of all communities.

PEN Norway’s Turkey Adviser Caroline Stockford said of the attacks: We stand in solidarity with MED-DER, the Payîz Pirtûk bookshop, and all those who are currently facing repression for advocating for their linguistic and cultural rights. We urge the Turkish authorities to cease these unjust actions and to recognise and respect the rights of the Kurdish people to preserve and promote their language and culture. We will continue to research and report on the violations of linguistic rights in Turkey. Language and culture can, and should, be viewed and respected quite separately and distinctly from politics by all parties.

PEN Norway demand the immediate release of those persons arrested in the raids on 24 September. We will closely monitor the developments surrounding these incidents.[1]