A Paris-based Kurdish singer who was detained after returning to Turkey for the first time in 11 years on terrorism-related accusations over her artistic and cultural work at a Kurdish cultural center in 2014 was released under judicial supervision on Thursday, the Mezopotamya News Agency (MA) reported.
Nuarîn was detained on Monday at Çukurova International Airport in southern Turkey upon her arrival from Paris as part of an investigation conducted by the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. She was accused of membership in a terrorist organization, referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), over her work at the Mesopotamia Cultural Center (MKM) in 2014.
After being questioned by police and a prosecutor, Nuarîn was referred to the 9th Criminal Magistrate of Peace, who released her under judicial supervision.
Nuarîn, who is from Mardin province, began her music career in 2004 at the MKM in Mersin. The center was shut down by an emergency decree during a state of emergency imposed after a coup attempt in July 2016.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 but said in May 2025 it would disband and end its armed campaign.
The Turkish Parliament in August 2025 established a special parliamentary commission to oversee the peace efforts. Draft legislation introduced following the commission’s deliberations was passed by parliament and submitted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday for approval.
Turkey frequently brings terrorism-related charges against journalists, artists and human rights advocates, most commonly alleging links to the PKK. Human rights groups say such cases often target activities that fall under freedom of expression and association rather than involvement in violence and are used to deter dissenting voices on the Kurdish issue. The term refers broadly to demands for equal rights and recognition by the country’s Kurdish population.
