Grew up Kurdish, forced to be Turkish, now called Armenian
When loose-talking Turkish officials toss around the word "Armenian" like it's a slur, they incite further hatred toward minorities.
Political prisoner Selman Gulbahce asked the judge for a translator in Turkish court on Sept. 1. Gulbahce wanted to speak in Kurdish, his mother tongue. However, the judge allegedly got very upset at the request. Based on Gulbahce’s writings after the court session, the judge said, “There is no Kurd. You have been educated in this country’s schools. You are impudent, insolent. Leave my courtroom.”
And according to the reports, it did not end there. Justice Sevval Akkas then turned to the gendarmerie soldiers in the courtroom and said, “They are killing your comrades every day. They are killing the police. As a woman, I am battling them, and you guys are just standing there and watching. They are like the Armenians. If they are not stopped in time, God knows what will happen.”
