KURDISH FLAG & FIRST KURDISH SIGN IN DIYARBAKIR

13. 8.  2013 – yuksecovahaber + BIANET – DIYARBAKIR –  Kurdistan Youth Movement Association (Komeleya Tevgera Ciwanên Kurdistanê), the first association including the word “Kurdistan” in its sign, has been established in the southeastern Kurdistan province of Diyarbakir in western Kurdistan (Turkish Kurdistan).

A ceremony has been held Sunday to celebrate the opening – an event that included a speech in Kurdish by the association chairman Serhad Mêrdini in his traditional costume and the usage of Iraqi Kurdistan flag.

Merdini said that the association marked the first approved institution (on July 25) to hold the word “Kurdistan” in its sign.

“Tevger advocates for the national rights of Kurdish people without making it a topic of discussion. Rights are not open to discussions. Nobody can ignore rights and we will defend our rights under the suitable circumstances. Tevger takes the legal democratic struggle as essential and finds it legitimate to use different methods whenever its is needed.” Mêrdini also added that they have made their application to the board of associations on their name and expected not to face any issues regarding their name.

“We will start subscribing members as soon as we get the approval,” he said.

The use of the term “Kurdistan” is vigorously rejected due to its alleged political implications by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize the existence of a “Turkish Kurdistan” Southeast Turkey. The word ‘KURDISTAN’ is strongly prohibited in Turkey. “The word ‘Kurdistan’ must be used every day in Turkey, since it is currently not pronounced well, because writing, reading and saying it was prohibited and considered a major crime,” said Tanrikulu, who owns a Kurdish publishing house in Istanbul.