Members of the Kurdish music group Koma Hevra were questioned by police after being arrested for performing three Kurdish songs during a concert in Diyarbakır. The group was asked, “Did anyone instruct you to sing the song?” during their interrogation
DENİZ TEKİN
The concert took place on September 29 in Diyarbakır’s Dağkapı Şeyh Said Square, organized by the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality. Following the event, Koma Hevra’s vocalists, Zeynep Doğan, Gencay Morkoç, and Yusuf Keleş, were detained after visiting the Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) as an act of solidarity.
The members were accused of “making propaganda for an organization” due to the content of the Kurdish songs they performed. After being questioned at the Diyarbakır Police Department’s Anti-Terror Branch, they were released the same day.
During their interrogation, the group was accused of promoting the PKK/KCK armed terrorist organization through the Kurdish songs “Koma Rewşen-Reber,” “Koma Berxwedan-Lexin birano,” and “Dilan.” The police asked a series of questions, including: “Who invited you to this event? Did you receive any payment for the performance? Did anyone instruct you to sing the songs containing praise for the PKK/KCK armed terrorist organization? If so, who gave you these instructions? How long have you known Zeynep Doğan, Yusuf Keleş, and Gencay Morkoç, who performed with you?”
The group members were also asked if they knew the orchestra members who played instruments during their performance and were requested to provide their full identities.
In their defense statements, the Koma Hevra members denied the accusations, stating that they participated in the concert organized by the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality for a fee and received no instructions from anyone regarding their song choices. They rejected the allegations of promoting any organization.
