Devran (book)

Devran is a book authored by the Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş while he was in prison in Edirne, Turkey. In the book are included fourteen short stories,[1] which focus on human rights of Kurds in Turkey.[2] After Dawn, it is the second book of Demirtaş[2] and was published in 2019 by İletişim Yayınları.[1] It has a dedication to his parents who stood by their children for seventeen years while they were prosecuted or in prison.[2]

Turkish edition

Impact

In January 2020, the book was included into a play by Jülide Kural during which artists read out stories included in the book.[3] Opposition politicians like the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoğlu or the Party chair of the Republican Peoples Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also attended the play.[4] In 2019, Turkish prosecutors classified the possession of the book as an evidence of being a member a terrorist organization claiming it was written to praise the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[5] Despite the classification by the prosecution, the book is legally available in Turkey and can also be bought over Amazon.[6] The book caused further turmoils in 2020, as Bülent Arınç, a prominent politician of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) advised the public society to read the book, which caused a condemning response by the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling Demirtaş a terrorist.[7] From politicians of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Arınç was also criticized and asked if he receives a commission for his promotion of a PKK book.[8] After a police investigation on HDP politicians in November 2021, Devran was displayed as a terrorism document together with other books of Demirtaş.[9]

References
  1. "Devran" (PDF). Iletisim Yayınları.
  2. Ezra, Yalazan (21 April 2019). "Devran: Selahattin Demirtaş and stubborn hope". Ahval. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  3. "Selahattin Demirtaş's Book 'Devran' Taken to Stage by Artist Jülide Kural". Bianet. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  4. sabah, daily (2020-01-14). "İBB faces backlash for selling senior terrorist's book". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  5. "Prosecutor deems Demirtaş's book 'terrorist organization document'". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  6. "Turkish government's shaky strategy against Kurds goes on". Arab News. 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  7. "There's no Kurdish issue in Turkey, Selahattin Demirtaş is a terrorist: Erdoğan". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  8. Doğrusu.com (2020-11-20). "Demirtaş'ın kitabı Devran'ı okuyun diyen Arınç'a MHP'den sert tepki". Doğrusu (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  9. "Police display Demirtaş's books as 'terrorism documents' after raiding HDP members' houses". Gazete Duvar. 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
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