Diyarbakır cafes faced with Islamist attacks over alcohol sale, women's clothing
The assailants were released after giving statements to the police following the latest attack. A DEM deputy says the attacks are reminiscent of Kurdish Hezbollah, a group responsible for the killing thousands of people in the region during the 1990s.
Two popular cafes in Diyarbakır's historic Suriçi district, Karga and Hewş, have been repeatedly targeted by attackers demanding the prohibition of alcohol and stricter dress codes for customers. These incidents have sparked concerns about increasing religious extremism in the area.
The attacks began on Jul 11, when three individuals, later identified through security footage, launched an assault involving gunfire and sound bombs on the cafes. The attackers, who had demanded that the cafes stop serving alcohol and that patrons adhere to conservative dress codes, were detained but released after spending about a month in custody.
On Aug 25, two of the previously detained individuals, identified as V.G. and U.Y., returned to one of the cafes, threatening the staff. According to reports, they demanded that the cafe stop allowing women dressed in what they deemed inappropriate clothing to visit the establishment. Following a verbal altercation, V.G. and U.Y. physically assaulted the cafe employees.
Despite the presence of police officers in armored vehicles, who were stationed nearby due to the previous attacks, the situation escalated. During the incident, one of the attackers reportedly attempted to grab a weapon from a police officer.
"They attacked us in front of the police"
The cafe’s operator, Bahoz Damlayıcı, expressed his frustration, telling the media, “Just an hour ago, I informed you that these individuals attacked us in front of dozens of police officers, and now they have been released. If anything happens to us, those who allowed their release are responsible.”
Damlayıcı explained that the threats began in May, with the situation deteriorating to violence in July. He also highlighted the attackers' ability to return freely to the scene of the crime despite their previous actions. "We don’t understand how these people, shouting ‘Allahu Akbar,’ could just walk back into this street. If anything happens to us, they are to blame. We demand our safety be ensured and warn that these attacks on our lifestyle could soon threaten everyone in Diyarbakır. I call on everyone to stand in solidarity with us.”
Reminding Hezbollah
Ceylan Akça Cupolo, a Diyarbakır MP from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), previpusly drew attention to the growing number of attacks on civilians, picnics, and businesses in the region. In a parliamentary inquiry submitted on Jul 16, Cupolo stated, "The fact that these individuals, who are known to law enforcement and openly send threats and death messages, can continue their attacks freely brings to mind the state-supported groups like Hezbollah in the 1990s."
Kurdish Hezbollah, also known as Hizbullah in Turkey, is an Islamist militant group that was particularly active during the conflict in the 1990s in the country’s Kurdish-populated eastern and southeastern regions. The group was responsible for the targeted killings of thousands of people, including Kurdish politicians, journalists, and other public figures. The group has no relations to the Lebanese Hezbollah. (ED/TY/VK)
Çalışmalarını ağırlıklı olarak Diyarbakır ve çevresindeki Kürt illerinde sürdürmektedir. Meslek hayatında, Gazete Duvar, MLSA, 5Harfliler, Kadın İşçi, 9. Köy ve Fikir Gazetesi gibi pek çok...
Çalışmalarını ağırlıklı olarak Diyarbakır ve çevresindeki Kürt illerinde sürdürmektedir. Meslek hayatında, Gazete Duvar, MLSA, 5Harfliler, Kadın İşçi, 9. Köy ve Fikir Gazetesi gibi pek çok platformda haberleriyle yer aldı. Dicle Fırat Gazeteciler Derneği'nde (DFG) medya ve basın sorumlusu olarak görev aldı. Bağımsız gazetecilik anlayışını benimseyen Evrim Deniz, kadın emeği, insan hakları ve toplumsal adalet gibi konulara odaklanmaktadır. Şu anda Bianet’in Diyarbakır muhabiri olarak görev yapmaktadır.
Kurds celebrate Newroz in Diyarbakır with massive attendance
Every Newroz has been a bittersweet time for us, a time we’ve wished for peace. Today, we renew that hope. We want to live in freedom and democratic peace,” says one participant.
Thousands have gathered for Newroz celebration in the Kurdish-populated Diyarbakır province, held under the theme “A Democratic Society for Freedom."
A new stage was installed at the site, replacing the old concrete platform. Banners bearing the Kurdish slogan jin, jiyan, azadî (Women, life, freedom) and other Newroz-related slogans were hung across the stage. Security was tight, with police setting up six separate checkpoints at the venue. Attendees arriving from early morning passed through five layers of screening before being allowed entry.
Police announced that no party flags or banners, including those of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, the largest pro-Kurdish party in Turkey and main organizer of the event, would be permitted within the celebration area.
Öcalan's message missing
Large posters of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), flanked both sides of the venue. The posters featured photos taken during his Feb 27 call involving the İmralı Delegation. Youths in the crowd also held up additional posters of Öcalan.
As the symbolic Newroz fire was lit, chants of “Bijî Serok Apo” (“Long live Leader Apo”) rang out from the crowd, reflecting ongoing support for the PKK leader.
However, a message from Öcalan could not be conveyed to the celebrations as the authorities left an application by DEM members to meet him before the celebrations unanswered.
In a statement, the DEM Party’s explained, “Contrary to expectations, the İmralı Delegation was not granted access, so Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s message did not arrive for this year’s Newroz. Instead, his most recent photos and audio were shown on the stage screen. With the slogans shouted in the square, the people once again demonstrated their support for the call he made on Feb 27.”
Many prominent Kurdish politicians have attended the celebrations, including DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar, and Sebahat Tuncel.
Leaders from Iraq's Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, president of the regional government, Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), as well as Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), send messages to convey their greetings.
Newroz is the traditional New Year celebration observed by various cultures in the Middle East and Central Asia, including Persians and Kurds. For Kurds, it holds particular significance as a symbol of freedom and resistance, rooted in the legend of Kawa the Blacksmith, who is said to have led a revolt against a tyrannical ruler, liberating the people.
'We are the Kurdish people'
Among the attendees was 55-year-old Sakine Y., who wore a traditional dress despite rainy conditions and helped tie a yellow-green-red scarf around her friend’s head. “Today, we see the photos of Kemal [Kurkut, killed by police during 2017 Newroz], Selahattin Demirtaş, and most importantly the İmralı Delegation on display. These are our realities. We’re not just here to celebrate. Newroz is joy, it’s resistance, it’s fire,” she said. “It might rain and we’ll be covered in mud, but we’re here in our traditional clothes. We are the Kurdish people, we forget neither our past nor our present.”
Ahmet T., a 22-year-old student, attended with friends and emphasized the emotional significance of the day. “Every Newroz has been a bittersweet time for us, a time we’ve wished for peace. Today, we renew that hope. We want to live in freedom and democratic peace,” he said. “To my friends resisting in İstanbul, I say: don’t be afraid. Peace is for all of us, not just the Kurds. Together, we will overcome this oppressive order.”
Barzani calls for Öcalan’s freedom
KDP leader Masoud Barzani expressed support for Turkey’s new peace process and called for Öcalan’s release.
“I hope Abdullah Öcalan will be freed soon. We support the peace and resolution process in Turkey. Peace is the only path to solving these issues. I also hope the suffering of Kurds in Syria ends quickly,” Barzani said.
YNK leader Bafel Talabani's message read, “On this Kurdish Newroz, which coincides with the resistance in Kirkuk, the Jerusalem of Kurdistan,I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the people of Kurdistan, wishing everyone peace, comfort, and happiness. Newroz is a message of renewal, unity, solidarity, and fraternity in the Kurdish struggle for freedom and independence.
"May this Newroz inspire peace, organization, and support for the Kurdish cause everywhere. The Kurdish people are a people who deserve an honorable life. Let us join hands for lasting peace and work toward the victory of Kurdistan. May your Newroz be blessed, joyful, and proud.”
Özel: ‘No tyrant could ever break our unity’
In his message, CHP leader Özgür Özel emphasized unity and shared struggle: “Dear people of Diyarbakır, my beloved brothers and sisters. As we celebrate Newroz, the harbinger of spring, we continue to resist the tyrants of our time, like the legendary Dehak. These ancient lands are a cradle of coexistence, where different cultures, languages, and faiths thrive together in solidarity and hope. No oppressor, no Dehak, has ever broken our brotherhood, and none ever will.
"We are committed to building a country where no one feels excluded, where everyone lives with equal rights in peace. Guided by our belief in democracy, justice, and freedom, we will together create a Turkey where all are equal citizens. May the warmth of Newroz, like today’s fire, illuminate our hearts and strengthen our hopes for the future. With these sentiments, I wish all my brothers and sisters in Diyarbakır a happy Newroz. Newroz pîroz be!” (ED/TY/VK)
Çalışmalarını ağırlıklı olarak Diyarbakır ve çevresindeki Kürt illerinde sürdürmektedir. Meslek hayatında, Gazete Duvar, MLSA, 5Harfliler, Kadın İşçi, 9. Köy ve Fikir Gazetesi gibi pek çok...
Çalışmalarını ağırlıklı olarak Diyarbakır ve çevresindeki Kürt illerinde sürdürmektedir. Meslek hayatında, Gazete Duvar, MLSA, 5Harfliler, Kadın İşçi, 9. Köy ve Fikir Gazetesi gibi pek çok platformda haberleriyle yer aldı. Dicle Fırat Gazeteciler Derneği'nde (DFG) medya ve basın sorumlusu olarak görev aldı. Bağımsız gazetecilik anlayışını benimseyen Evrim Deniz, kadın emeği, insan hakları ve toplumsal adalet gibi konulara odaklanmaktadır. Şu anda Bianet’in Diyarbakır muhabiri olarak görev yapmaktadır.
The mother sat next to two empty bowls, bereft of life, not moving in the small area of green encircled by flats. A place we call paradise in this concrete jungle.
I went down and tried to comfort her, though separated by species, she knew what I meant. But it wasn’t always like this…
As winter moved in at the tail end of last year, the dog now lying below me with only 3 paws, the other blown off by hateful zealots, was brought to our patch, followed by her three puppies.
Each day they would dance in the field and in our hearts. People in the area came to life, in minutes a home was built for them, so good one half expected it to have central heating.
The father was brought from the village and we had our family, completed now with a half-sister puppy.
They loved each other and we loved them. And then, someone passed by, foreign to these parts. Looked out of their car window, phoned, and in the morning, they were gone.
Everyone’s faces were bowed down, the children glanced over with tears in their eyes. “Where have they gone?”
As the weeks passed the grass grew over “their patch.”
Until one day at the dead of night a lorry opened and the pitter patter of paws could be heard once again. (DM/VK)
David R. Mellor is from Liverpool, England. He spent his late teens homeless on Merseyside. He is currently writing and performing in Turkey. His work...
David R. Mellor is from Liverpool, England. He spent his late teens homeless on Merseyside. He is currently writing and performing in Turkey. His work has been featured by the BBC and the Tate, and his published collections of poetry are What a Catch (2013), Some Body (2013), Express Nothing (2019) and So This Is It (2020). His collection of stories An Englishman in Turkey – Türkiye’de Bir İngiliz is recently published in Turkish.
