WAN – The Wan (Van) Bar Association, the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), and the Legal Research and Education Association (DADSAZ) have jointly called for official recognition of the Kurdish language, urging the removal of all barriers to its use in public life and demanding that Kurdish be made a language of education.

 

Members of the organizations gathered in front of Van Courthouse under banners reading “Statûya Kurdî, perwerdehiya bi Kurdî” and “Statûyê Kurdkî perwerdeyê bi Kurdkî (Official Status for Kurdish, Education in Kurdish)”.

 

Reading the statement Van Bar Association Kurdish Language Commission member Ali Şapkacı said that the Kurdish language and identity have long been targeted by state assimilation policies. Şapkacı stated that these policies have not only limited the public use of Kurdish but have also damaged cultural memory, the education system, and the justice mechanism. 

 

Şapkacı said: “The restriction of Kurdish in schools, universities, courts, and administrative institutions is the result of a systematic understanding that aims to weaken the language’s social existence and erase its visibility from public life. Excluding a language from public life means erasing the memory and identity of its speakers. These policies, which continue today in many areas, are among the greatest obstacles not only for Kurds but also for Turkey’s democratic future.”

 

Şapkacı emphasized that recognizing Kurdish can only be achieved by granting it official status and ensuring that individuals can freely use and develop their mother language in all areas of life. He said. “The right to education in one’s mother language is the cornerstone of this process. Language rights are not merely cultural demands, they are universal human rights. Recognizing Kurdish as an official language is not only a matter of justice for the Kurdish people but also a prerequisite for democracy, equal citizenship, and lasting peace in Turkey. Any steps taken in this regard must sincere and structural; otherwise, they will remain superficial attempts that merely postpone the problem.”

 

He concluded: “As legal professionals, we will continue our struggle to secure Kurdish as a language of education and public life. The liberation of language means the liberation of society itself.”