Turkish prosecutors have launched a case to shut down four political parties due to their use of “Kurdistan”: Turkey Kurdistan Party, Kurdistan Socialism Party, Kurdistan Freedom Party, and Kurdistan Communist Party.
Prosecutor Mehmet Akarca said the parties are violating the Turkish constitution. The chair of the Kurdistan Socialist Party, Bayram Bozyel, said that “closing a Kurdistan-named party does not remove the reality of [the existence of] Kurdistan.”
The head of the Kurdistan Communist Party, Sinan Çiftyürek, also criticised the case, saying the government was acting in fear. He said the ruling Justice and Development Party was using a double standard, after once supporting warmer ties with the Kurdish community, even raising a Kurdistan flag in Ankara once.
Several Kurdish-focused parties have been shut down in Turkey’s history before. Most recently in 2009, the Democratic Society Party was closed after four years in existence.