This year’s Newroz in Amed (Diyarbakır), celebrated under the slogans “Newroz of Freedom and Democracy (Kurdish&Turkish),” witnessed both historic moments and powerful messages. Despite the rainy weather, people of all ages, from 7 to 70, gathered in large numbers, celebrating with great enthusiasm and once again demonstrating their trust in the ongoing struggle and their hopes for the future.
Despite all policies of repression, provocations, and bans, hundreds of thousands of people who carried the Newroz fire into the present ignited it this year with even greater enthusiasm. From Newroz Park, they once again conveyed to the world the Kurdish people’s insistence on both peace and freedom. Calls for national unity, the end of isolation, the release of prisoners, the implementation of legal steps regarding the process, and the Kurdish people’s hopes for peace stood out as the main themes of the celebration. The developments throughout the day have been compiled under key headings.
They entered the area singing songs despite bans and restrictions
In the early hours of the morning, citizens heading toward the Newroz area, where five entrances had been set up, began gathering in front of police barricades two hours before the official entry time of 10:00. Accompanied by drums and zurna, they danced halay (traditional group dance) and chanted slogans while waiting, and at 10:00 they started entering the area through police checkpoints.
Women, dressed in traditional clothing and adorned with deq (traditional Kurdish tattoos), entered the area with ululations, their colorful outfits seemingly dispersing the dark clouds. Passing through three separate police checkpoints, citizens did not hesitate to respond to cameras with ululations and victory signs. The entrances quickly filled as men in şal û şepik (traditional Kurdish male attire) and women in vibrant traditional clothing streamed into the area.
As the rain intensified, the search points turned into a sea of mud, forcing many to enter the area through muddy paths. In addition, despite the absence of any official ban, many citizens wearing traditional clothing or carrying yellow, red, and green scarves were prevented from entering. Young people who were denied entry protested the restrictions, while one mother who refused to comply drew attention by saying, “Let them ban it a thousand times, I will hide it a thousand times again and still enter.”
Many young people who were issued reports on the grounds of alleged bans were taken into custody by the police.
Posters once banned, were everywhere in the area
After entering, the crowd was welcomed in the park with Agirê Jiyan’s song “Rehşan” and made its way through the mud to the area where the fire stood. Despite all bans and restrictions, one of the first actions of those entering the area was to carry banners bearing photographs of Abdullah Öcalan, which had previously been banned and considered criminal evidence, and move toward the rally ground.
Gathering around the fire waiting to be lit, citizens formed circles and danced halay. Among the crowd were both ten-year-old children and fifty-year-old mothers. Families arrived holding their children’s hands, and many babies, dressed in traditional clothing, posed in their parents’ arms in front of the fire.
The enthusiasm of women and young people filled the entire area
The Newroz celebration saw growing excitement with each passing minute, and intermittent rain that quickly subsided caused no interruption. Despite the rain, the crowd continued dancing halay, with a particularly noticeable presence of young people.
Young participants, dressed in traditional clothing, frequently chanted “Bijî Serok Apo (Long live Abdullah Öcalan)” and did not miss the opportunity to take photos with banners they held. Alongside the youth, mothers and people with disabilities were also seen arriving at the area despite all difficulties. Every photograph captured reflected the people’s will and hope.
The area, where mothers were dressed in yellow, red, and green, saw an even greater rise in enthusiasm with the halay of koçer (nomadic) women. The vibrant colors and energy that emerged at the Newroz, with strong participation from young women, were striking.
The celebration, described as one of the most crowded and enthusiastic Newroz gatherings in recent years, was shaped not only by adults but also by children aged six or seven, as well as cats and dogs brought to the area, and mothers wearing white headscarves, all of whom played a significant role in creating this atmosphere.
The demand for freedom echoed across the entire area
Alongside the vibrant colors, large posters of Abdullah Öcalan were hung on many of the booths across the area. In addition to these posters, photographs of Öcalan, who has been held in isolation for 27 years, were visible everywhere, carried together with flags by the crowd. Young people formed long lines to take photos in front of these banners.
Through speeches and slogans voiced in front of these images, the demand to end the ongoing isolation and to secure Öcalan’s freedom was once again expressed. Citizens chanting in unison not only called for freedom but also repeatedly emphasized their insistence on peace.
Politicians who took the stage echoed similar messages, drawing attention to the Kurdish people’s demand for status and calling for Öcalan’s immediate release. It was observed that hundreds of thousands of people listened in complete silence both during the moment of respect and while Öcalan’s message was being read, with speeches highlighting the importance of the ongoing process.
In interviews with the press, citizens emphasized freedom and peace, describing the current process as an opportunity that must be utilized by all sides. While delivering messages that were both enthusiastic, political, and vibrant, they once again expressed their hope and confidence in Imralı and the peace process, while also sending a message to those opposing the process.
The call for democratic national unity was repeated
Mothers drenched by the rain stood smiling around the burning fire, raising ululations, while young people, following a long-standing tradition, threw their jackets into the fire to keep it burning. As slogans and halay filled the area, dark clouds gave way to clear skies, and artists on stage brought moments of great enthusiasm to the crowd.
Artists from all parts of Kurdistan drew attention to the Kurdish people’s national unity and integrity through both their songs and speeches. Alongside these calls, the crowd chanted, “Yek e yek e yek e, gelê Kurd yek e (The Kurdish people are one).”
Politicians echoed the same call, emphasizing the importance of unity and cohesion, especially amid the ongoing and risky conflicts across the four parts of Kurdistan. Compared to previous years, calls for national unity were met with a stronger response, and it was evident that citizens expect these appeals to be translated into concrete steps.
Halay continued despite mud and rain
The crowd was taken back to the 1990s as Agirê Jiyan took the stage after the speeches. Despite the rain, citizens who danced halay and made their way through muddy paths joined in all the songs performed by the group.
Beyond all the color, enthusiasm, rain, sun, and the calls made throughout the day, the most impactful moment for the crowd came when Çetin Arkaş, released after 33 years of imprisonment, addressed the gathering. As the sound of drums and zurna fell silent, his words dedicated to those who had been lost were etched into memory, creating both a deep sense of sorrow and a strong feeling of hope across the area.
We will definitely prevail
Çetin Arkaş said: “Every life we have lost was among the finest and most precious children of this people. They were your children. Now feel them in your halay (traditional Kurdish group dance), in your slogans, at the very heart of the struggle. We all have a promise to them, a debt to them.
We promise all our valued mothers, those we have lost and those who are still with us: We will prevail. We will definitely prevail.”
With these words, Çetin Arkaş concluded his speech, encapsulating both the events of the day and a 50-year-long struggle. The crowd, which had entered the area in the morning with slogans, left in the evening to the song “Çerxa Şoreşê” (a well-known Kurdish revolutionary song, ‘Wheel of the Revolution’) with his words firmly engraved in their minds.
The 2026 Newroz in Amed, with every moment, every color, every surge of enthusiasm, and every face, once again revived the hope that the Kurdish people, who have paid a heavy price for years, will ultimately prevail despite all difficulties.