Last year, Kurds dancing halay at weddings to Kurdish songs became the target of an online campaign fueled by racist and militarist social media accounts. What began on digital platforms turned into a widespread crackdown resembling a witch-hunt, with dozens arrested across Kurdistan and Turkey for simply dancing to Kurdish music at weddings. The number of detentions and arrests kept growing.
One such case occurred in Siirt, where five people, two of them under 18, were arrested for dancing halay. After about a month in detention, the two children were released, but later sentenced for “making terrorist propaganda.” The women, Tülin Taşkesen, Zehra Alver, and Edanur Taşkesen, were handed 10-month prison terms. The court argued that by dancing to the song “Lêxe Gerîla Lêxe” they had “legitimized the actions” carried out by guerrillas.
Young women given 10-month sentences
In the district of Kurtalan, A.T. (17), S.T. (17), Edanur Taşkesen (19), Filiz Taşkesen (42), and Tülin Taşkesen (21) were targeted on social media after dancing halay to the song “Lêxe Gerîla Lêxe” at a wedding. Shortly afterward, police raided their homes. Four of them, including the two minors, were arrested and sent to prison, while Zehra Alver was placed under house arrest. The women were released at their first hearing on August 16 at the Siirt 2nd Heavy Penal Court, but the trial continued and has now concluded.
Court rules halay is not covered by freedom of expression
Charged with “making terrorist propaganda,” the women were convicted on what lawyers described as absurd grounds. While Filiz Taşkesen was acquitted, the other three women each received 10-month sentences, and the two minors six months and 20 days. The court decided to suspend the announcement of the verdict (HAGB), but argued in its reasoning that dancing halay “goes beyond freedom of expression.”
Accused of making propaganda for an “illegal organization”
The written ruling contained controversial statements, including the following: “Although the defendants claimed in their defense that they did not know the song was banned, the court evaluated this as an attempt to evade responsibility. By dancing to lyrics praising the so-called ‘guerrillas’, members of the terrorist organization who carry out violent and illegal acts under the guise of resistance, the defendants openly demonstrated their support for the organization. In doing so, they glorified armed members killed during illegal actions against the indivisible unity of the state, and thus carried out propaganda by legitimizing the terrorist organization’s unlawful activities.”
Lawyers for the defendants have appealed the ruling to the Court of Appeals.