Kadir Cat
Kadir Cat, a Kurdish singer from Urfa, was temporarily held in Turkey on Thursday following his performance of a song deemed controversial and interpreted as “terror propaganda” at an event organized 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”.
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. According to Authorities Cat was accused of “praising members of a terrorist group”.
After intensive investigation, Cat was released several hours later.
After his released, Cat informed MA that he was detained without reason due to his song choice. He mentioned that he had been arrested before and faced legal action in 2010 and earlier this year in Aydin province and Urfa, respectively, for performing the same song. However, he was declared innocent in both instances.
“They are trying to scare us with such actions. However, Kemal Pir was not afraid, and we will not be afraid either,” The Kurdish singer said.
The actions of Turkish authorities were heavily criticized by Green party officials and Kurdish activists. Zeynep Oduncu, an MP from the Green party, described Cat’s detention as terrible and urged for his immediate release.
Criticism was directed at the Turkish authorities for their actions, with Green party officials and Kurdish activists condemning Cat’s detention. Turkish laws consider publicly expressing support for designated “terrorist” groups as a criminal offense, potentially leading to imprisonment. However, this law has often been used to target Kurdish musicians, singers, and activists, causing concern among many Kurds who view it as a means to suppress Kurdish cultural events.
