Police detain nine protesting for mother tongue education in İstanbul

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) Esenyurt District Organization in İstanbul gathered outside a primary school in the district to read out a statement about mother tongue education.

The police did not allow the gathering and detained nine people. Officers broke Burukan's nose was broken and beat Gamze Kaya in front of her children, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.

The detainees were first taken to the hospital, and then to the Kıraç Police Station.

In the 2021-2022 school year, 20,265 students chose an elective Kurdish language course, according to the Ministry of National Education. Elective Kurdish language education was included in the curriculum for the first time in 2012.

The HDP demands full mother tongue education for all ethnic minorities in the country, saying that an elective language course cannot replace education in mother tongue. (RT/VK)