Turkish police raided the Mezopotamya Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER), a Kurdish language center and the Payîz Pirtûk Kurdish bookstore in Diyarbakır early Tuesday morning, Bianet news website reported.
Several individuals were detained as part of an investigation led by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The search, which lasted nearly three hours, resulted in the confiscation of Kurdish language education books, magazines, and hard drives from the association’s computers.
A confidentiality order has also been placed on the case file, restricting public access to details of the investigation.
“These oppressive policies will not prevent the Kurdish people from preserving their mother tongue,” the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
No lawyers were reportedly present during the search, and a 24-hour restriction has been imposed on those detained, preventing access to legal representation.