Turkish court bans Kurdish history book again after 17 years in Turkey

A Turkish court has ruled to ban a book titled “Kurdistan Tarihi — The History of Kurdistan,” whose first edition was confiscated by the State Security Court (DGM) in 2001 and to pull it off the shelves.

“The History of Kurdistan”, a Soviet academic volume published in Turkish by Avesta Publishing, was banned by the Ayvalık Penal Court of Peace. It was last banned in 2001 by the İstanbul State Security Court. The publishing house was also given a fine and prison sentence by the same court. However, thanks to legal challenges, that ban was overturned.

Edited by M.S. Lazarev and Ş.X. Mıhoyan and translated from Russian into Turkish by İbrahim Kale, the first edition of “History of Kurdistan” was published in Turkey in 2001.

“We’re talking about a book that has been on shelves for about 20 years. We got no notification or investigation. We learnt that the book had been banned from two police who came here,” Avesta Publishing owner Abdullah Keskin said.

“The İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s office has asked us for information on the ban. Why does it want that information? There is information they are requesting from us rather than the prosecutors or courts, as if they are saying ‘we don’t know why we banned it either’.”

Keskin said he imagined the book had been found on the shelves of a suspect in a police investigation and had been banned arbitrarily. “I’m sure they haven’t read it,” he said.

Bianet reported that the prosecutor’s office has also demanded information regarding 10 books of the Avesta Publishing House. Keskin stated that the ruling was given on July 1. Reminding that nine books published by the publishing house were previously banned, Keskin said that all of the banned and confiscated books were PhD theses.

The books previously banned and confiscated by the court are as follows: Kan, İnançlar ve Oy Pusulaları (Blood, Beliefs and Voting Papers), Cesur Adamların Ülkesine Yolculuk (Journey to the Country of Brave Men), Tasavvur mu Gerçek mi? (Is it a Vision or Reality?), Mağdur Diasporadan Sınırötesi Vatandaşlığa mı? (From the Victim Diaspora to Transboundary Citizenship?), Ülkemde Bir Yabancı (A Foreigner in My Country), Kürdistan Bayrağının Altında ve Irak’ta Soykırım (Genocide Under the Flag of Kurdistan and in Iraq), Mahabad Kürt Cumhuriyeti Büyük Güçlerin Politikasında Kürtler 1941-1947 (Kurds in the Policies of Mahabad Kurdish Republic 1941-1947), Çaldıran Savaşı’nda Osmanlılar, Safeviler ve Kürtler (Ottomans, Safavids and Kurds in Battle of Chaldiran) and Tanrı ve Şeyh Adi Kusursuzdur: Yezidi Tarihinden Kutsal Şiirler ve Dinsel Anlatılar (God and Sheikh are Common Flawless: Holy Poems and Religious Narratives from the Yazidi History).

The Avesta Publishing House has been publishing Kurdish books in Turkey for 23 years. It has published more than 600 Turkish-Kurdish books so far.

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from Stockholm Center for Freedom https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-court-bans-kurdish-history-book-again-after-17-years-in-turkey/