ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release pending trial of four Kurdish women who were arrested on the accusation of singing and dancing to a song that promoted the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Filiz Taskesen, three of her daughters and another member of her family, were arrested on July 27 after a video was shared on social media showing them singing a PKK-related song while performing a Kurdish dance at a wedding. The video drew criticism from nationalist Turks and some Turkish media called the dance “the terror dance.”
At their first court hearing in Siirt, the defendants pleaded innocent, saying they have been doing this for years and did not know it was illegal.
"We danced the same way we have always danced at weddings. We did not know it was forbidden. Our dances were not forbidden until today,” Taskesen told the jury, reported the Kurdish news outlet Mezopotamya Agency.
The 42-year-old Kurdish mother has been under house arrest for two weeks while three of her daughters and another family member, who are aged between 17 and 21, were in jail.
The court decided to release the four young women and lift the house arrest on Taskesen until their next hearing on November 26. All of them have been banned from traveling.
Taskesen told Mezopotamya Agency on July 30 from her house that they had done nothing wrong but just danced. “Should we not go to the weddings of our relatives? We should be free… dance freely.”
The song, Ha Gerila, was composed by PKK fighter Celal Ercan (Hozan Sefkan) who was killed along with seven of his comrades in Haftanin in 1985, according to PKK media.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report on Thursday condemned the arrests, saying that “Kurdish songs and dances are not terrorist propaganda” and calling on Ankara to “end abusive prosecutions and detentions.”
“The actions of the authorities in detaining and criminalizing people for such lawful activities constitutes a clear abuse of arrest powers,” HRW said, referring to a series of police crackdowns on Kurdish weddings to prevent them from playing PKK songs.
The rights monitor said at least 34 people have spent weeks in pretrial detention on similar charges.
“Turning Kurdish wedding parties into crime scenes by arresting and prosecuting guests and musicians is only the latest example of how for decades the Turkish authorities have perverted the criminal justice system to target legitimate activities and political expression by Kurds,” concluded HRW in its report.
Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) also condemned the arrests and labeled them “organized racism.”
There is a long history of animosity and conflict over Kurdish issues and rights in Turkey. The state has at times denied the very existence of Kurds. The Kurdish language remains banned in official settings. The government does have a full time Kurdish broadcaster but it is seen by many Kurds as a propaganda machine for the ruling party. Turkish police have also banned traditional Kurdish clothes during Kurdish celebrations, primarily Newroz (New Year).
