50 thousands say “Freedom Now” in Diyarbakir

Leyla Zana started her speech by saying that “for 30 years they are bombing this wonderful nature with chemical weapons. Nature is suffering”, and in a highly symbolic gesture Zana removed the hair band of daisies from her head and throw it to the crowd saying “I throw this flowers to you so that nature once again could flourish”.
It was then the turn of Altan Tan to take the microphone. “These are days when patience are wearing out – he said – They keep telling us to wait and be patient. I am asking you, after thousands of our children who lost their lives, thousands of our brothers and sisters in prison, thousands of our families in exile… can we have any patience left?” The crowd answered “No”.
At the end of the meeting a message from Hatip Dicle, independent candidate in prison at the moment because one of the defendant in the KCK (Kurdish Communities Confederation) trial was read.
Saturday also saw the beginning of celebrations for Kurdish Language Day.
eace and Democracy Party (BDP) General Office, in the statement made for the 15 May Kurdish Language Celebration Day, made a call for an end to assimilation while celebrating the language feast of the Kurdish people who brought their ‘language and culture’ into being through the struggle they give.
BDP Co-chairs Filiz Kocali and Hamit Geylani’s message for the 15 May Kurdish Language Celebration Day is as follows;
“May 15, the day Kurdish literature, art and philosophy magazine Hawar started publication by linguist Celadet Ali Bedirxan and his fellows in Damascus in 1932, is celebrated as Kurdish Language Celebration Day.
Beyond any doubt, the deep meaning of this feast is inner the sanctity of mother-language as it s their initial fact that give personality to an individual. The language raises thought and thought raises the language.
The celebration of this day as the Feast of Kurdish language was approved upon the suggestion of Kurdish language litterateurs and linguistics and made a major contribution to the improvement of the Kurdish language. The Hawar magazine has enabled the cultivation and emanation of immortal writers like Cegerxwîn, Qedrîcan, Osman Sebrî. Another important service of the Hawar staff is the preparation of the Kurdish alphabet with Latin characters.
The Hawar magazine staff has also made great contributions on the Kurdish training given today in all primary, secondary schools and three universities in Iraqi Kurdish federal region, the opening of Kurdish language departments at tens of Kurdish institutes and European universities and the adoption of the Kurdish language by these institutions. The Kurdish language, which has been neglected and banned for many years, unfortunately found the chance of advancing in exile. (Translation: Berna Ozgencil)
THE RIGHT TO BE TAUGHT IN KURDISH CAMPAIGN
Tevgera Ziman û Perwerdahiya Kurdî (TZPKurdî, Kurdish Language and Education Movement in English)has began several months ago a campaign called ‘Read, Speak, Write in Kurdish Everywhere’, launched against the prohibition of the Kurdish language in certain spheres in Turkey.
TZPKurdî has suggested three measures to resist the repression of Kurdish in Turkey: 1) to promote the Kurdish language in education, 2) to speak the language in private as well as in public venues and 3) to speak it at all political events. Currently, the use of Kurdish in the political arena is forbidden according to the Law on Political Parties.
There is an ongoing denial of Kurdish language since the creation of Turkish Republic about 80 years ago. He criticised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s approach to the Kurdish question and his defence of the motto of the Turkish state: ‘One Language, One Nation.’
At a demonstration in support of Kurdish language on International Mother Language Day, back in February, BDP deputy Hamit Geylani also made a speech saying that the trial of Kurdish politicians in Diyarbak?r is a trial where the Kurdish language is being tried. ‘There will be no freedom until or language is free,’ he said, and added that ‘the struggle of Kurdish people for their language will go on.’
Amnesty International (AI) has now recognised Kurdish and will began to use it on its website. AI signed a protocol with the KURD?-DER Batman (Elîh) branch in order to translate all written documents into Kurdish for one year.
In February 2009, Ahmet Türk, then head of the now defunct DTP, spoke Kurdish in the Turkish parliament to honour International Mother Language Day. TRT quickly cut the live broadcast.

ANF / DIYARBAKIR