DEM Party MP criticizes restrictions on Kurdish language in Turkey
DEM Party MP Sezai Temelli criticized restrictions on Kurdish, saying its public use and education were banned despite being spoken by over 25 million people. He condemned parliamentary bans on Kurdish greetings and called linguistic rights fundamental and non-negotiable.
Duvar English
Sezai Temelli from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party of Turkey on Feb. 20 held a press conference in parliament, where he highlighted that many languages in Turkey faced oppression and were at risk of extinction ahead of the Feb. 21 International Mother Language Day.
Temelli stated that Kurdish was the most repressed language. He noted that the government's approach to other minority languages was relatively more positive, as children from minority groups could receive education in their native tongues, even if not officially recognized in legislation. However, he emphasized that Kurdish, despite not being a minority language, lacked educational rights.
“Beyond the right to education, even the public use of Kurdish is banned,” he said. Temelli dismissed government claims that they had facilitated the use of Kurdish through media channels, calling them untrue.
“Kurdish is being increasingly restricted; theaters are banned, municipalities are prohibited from providing services in Kurdish, Kurdish defendants are denied their legal rights in court, and education in Kurdish is out of the question,” he said.
He also criticized the Kurdish language ban in Parliament, stating, “An even greater disgrace is that even a short Kurdish greeting is forbidden. The microphone is cut off at the podium, even though the parliamentary rostrum is constitutionally protected and should be immune from interference. However, when it comes to Kurdish, interventions occur. We do not accept this.”
Temelli reminded that over 25 million Kurds lived in Turkey. “We should be able to say a greeting or a sentence in our mother tongue from the parliamentary podium when necessary. We do not accept this ban. Every time this happens, the deputy speaker reminds us that Turkish is the official language of the country. Yes, Turkish is the official language, but we are representatives of the people. Speaking to our constituents in our native language is a fundamental right. A mother tongue is a right—it cannot be debated or banned,” he said.