Authorities have barred three music groups from participating in the 23rd Munzur Culture and Nature Festival, held annually in the Kurdish-Alevi populated city of Dersim, officially known as Tunceli.
The Tunceli Governor’s Office prohibited the Armenian group Veradardz Folk Ensemble from performing at the festival. Although not included in this year’s program, two leftist protest music groups, Grup Yorum and Grup İsyan Ateşi, were also issued bans.
The governor’s office claimed that Veradardz Folk Ensemble had “deviated from the purpose of the event” in past years by displaying the Armenian flag during performances.
After learning of the ban, the Veradardz ensemble turned back from the border province of Van, before reaching Dersim.
The move comes at a time when Turkey and Armenia are engaged in a normalization process. On Jun 20, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in İstanbul to discuss issues including the reopening of transport links, the restoration of a historic bridge in Ani, and potential areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Kurdish musician Mikaîl Aslan criticized the decision, noting that one of the band's members, Aleksandr Avetisyan, had planned to give him a portrait of Seyîd Riza, who led the 1937 Dersim rebellion.
“But the governor's office has once again blocked languages, cultures, and peoples from joining hands,” Aslan said. “Still, we will continue to build bridges of friendship with the Armenian people—our ancient neighbors and brotherly community, who were uprooted over a century ago. Neither repression nor bans can stop the dances and bridges of friendship we create!”
The bans on Grup Yorum and Grup İsyan Ateşi were reportedly justified by authorities on the grounds that the groups had performed at past festivals and were accused of “terror propaganda,” despite not being scheduled to appear this year. (TY/VK)
