Turkish police detain Kurdish academic for 'Long Live Kurdistan' social media posts

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Hifzullah Kutum, a research assistant at Fırat University in the Kurdish-majority province of Elazığ, was detained on Friday after sharing the phrase “Long Live Kurdistan” on his social media account.

“Congratulations to all Kurds on the (anniversary of the) September Revolution. Long Live Kurdistan,” Kutum said in a tweet in Kurdish on Sept. 14 with a picture of Mullah Mustafa Barzani.

The September Revolution, spearheaded by the late Mullah Mustafa Barzani, broke out on Sept. 11, 1961, as part of efforts to establish a Kurdish autonomous region within the Iraqi state, then led by Abdul Karim Qasim, who overthrew the Hashemite monarchy in 1958.

The director’s office of Fırat University also announced that it had suspended Kutum from his position amid an ongoing disciplinary investigation, the Duvar English news website reported.

A Turkish flag was reportedly hung on Kutum’s office door at the university.

In response, Kutum said that the flag in the clip he posted on social media is of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with which Turkey relations. He also referred to meetings between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and top Iraqi Kurdish officials.

Before he was detained, Kutum told Duvar about the threats of violence he was receiving daily. “If you look at the comments below my social posts, you see... death threats... insults and remarks that do not befit human dignity.”

He explained that he had received similarly-toned private messages. “The police came. I think they will detain me,” Kutum added.

The incident comes one week after Turkish police detained a civilian named Cemil Taşkesen in the Kurdish Siirt province for criticizing the visit of Meral Aksener, the leader of the Turkish ultranationalist Iyi (Good) Party.

Read More: Kurdish civilian detained in Turkey for saying “this is Kurdistan”

Taşkesen was later released after giving his statement to the prosecution.