MLSA- In its Rule 9.2 communication to the Council of Europe, Media and Law Studies Association stated that bans on Kurdish concerts, theater and art events are increasing day by day; that the measures taken by the government are ineffective; and that the Council of Europe should continue the implementation process on this issue.
In a communication on the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights ruling in Ulusoy and Others, which deemed the banning of concerts and theater events in Kurdish as a violation of rights, the MLSA Legal Unit emphasized that with the bans on Kurdish theater and concerts, the government is trying to remove the Kurdish language from the public sphere. In the communication, Kurdish art events that have been banned since 2019 were listed. It was reported that concerts of Kurdish singers such as Mem Ararat, Azad Berdan, Zinar Sozdar, Aynur Doğan; Kurdish theater plays and performances such as Berû, Dawiya Dawî, Tartuffe were banned without justification.
MLSA’s Mesopotamia Culture Center Case is a pilot desicion
In the communication, MLSA referred to the Berbang concert organized at the Bostancı Cultural Center as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Mesopotamia Cultural Center (MKM). MLSA, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of MKM against the Kadıköy District Governorate, which canceled the concert at the last minute, had the decision annulled in July and won compensation. Referring to the decision as a pilot decision, MLSA stated that it sets a precedent against the banning of Kurdish cultural activities.
MLSA: Stop the arbitrary bans of governors
In the last part of the communication, MLSA stated the measures that Turkey should take and emphasized that the authority granted to governors and district governors to ban meetings should be restricted and the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations should be amended accordingly. It was emphasized that as long as arbitrary bans by governors and district governors continue, there can be no real solution to this problem.
What is a rule 9.2. Communication?
Civil society organizations can submit a 9.2 notification to the Council of Europe, the body tasked with implementing the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. In these notifications, it is evaluated whether the necessary measures have been taken regarding the relevant ECtHR judgment. According to the examination, it is decided whether the implementation process will continue or not. 9.2 communications are seen by civil society organizations as an important tool to publicize human rights violations in Turkey.
To access the full text of 9.2 Communication submitted by MLSA please click here.
