Human rights of Kurdish people in Turkey
Kurds in Turkey have faced discrimination and sometimes violence by the state for many decades. In the early years of the Turkish Republic, Kurds suffered mass killings, forced expulsions, and harsh restrictions. Notable examples include large-scale killings in Dersim and the Zilan region. Kurds were often forbidden to use their language, wear their dress, or name their children, and Kurdish areas were under martial law for years. Officials even denied that Kurds were a distinct people, calling them “Mountain Turks.”
Language and education have been major issues. After a military coup in 1980, the Kurdish language was banned in public and private life. People who spoke, published, or sang in Kurdish could be arrested. Although the ban on speaking non-Turkish languages was lifted in 1991, earning recognition as a distinct Kurdish people or teaching Kurdish in schools remained controversial and was often linked to terrorism or support for the PKK. Today, Kurdish is still not an official language of instruction in public schools, though a few private or alternative programs exist. Universities sometimes offer Kurdish courses, but these are limited.
Political rights have also been restricted. Kurdish political parties were frequently shut down, and Kurdish-language political activity was constrained by law. Leyla Zana, a prominent Kurdish politician, faced prison sentences for speaking Kurdish in public life. In recent years, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has represented Kurdish rights in parliament, but other Kurdish parties have faced closure efforts. The government has portrayed Kurdish calls for rights as terrorism or separatism. The 2010s saw a return to conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK, with attacks on Kurdish political offices and communities.
Many Kurdish villages were destroyed or emptied during the 1980s and 1990s, as people were displaced from rural areas. By the mid-1990s, hundreds of thousands of Kurds had become internally displaced. In later years, the government restricted Kurdish symbols and language in public life; terms like “Kurdistan” and “Kurdish regions” were banned, and even maps or media referencing Kurdish identity faced action.
International bodies have criticized Turkey for human rights abuses against Kurds. The European Court of Human Rights and groups such as the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance have noted that using Kurdish in official contexts can lead to prosecutions, and that cultural rights remain limited. Despite some reforms, many Kurds feel their culture and language are not fully respected.
Today, some steps have been taken to improve cultural rights, such as Kurdish-language broadcasting and limited media in Kurdish, but many laws and practices still restrict the use of Kurdish in education, politics, and public life. The Kurdish community in Turkey continues to seek recognition, more language rights, and greater cultural and political freedom.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:42 (CET).