Tag Archives: Turkey

News

Another Rapper Detained For His Music

June 22, 2021 Shouts - Music from the Rooftops! Leave a comment

In Turkey, rapper Şehinşah was recently detained by local authorities for allegedly insulting the president in two of his songs. Şehinşah wrote on his Twitter account: “On my way home, I was detained at the airport for insulting the President. I am in detention again.”

In another tweet Şehinşah describes his frustration over these continuous detentions and promises to soon release a protest song.

Arkadaşlar salındım. Sosyal platformlarda destek olan herkese çok teşekkür ederim. Kendimi yalnız hissetmemek , böyle anlarda arkamda sizi seven onlarca insanın varlığını hissetmek bana güç verdi.
Artı yakında PROTEST parça yapçam. Sıkıldım aynı teranelerden nezarete atılmaktan.
— Şehinşah (@sehinsahakahs) June 6, 2021

According to the State of Artistic Freedom 2021, published by Freemuse, several artists have been oppressed and attacked by Turkish authorities and “experienced legal prosecution under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (Insulting the President of the Republic) and also the 1991 Anti-Terror Law (no. 3713/TMK). Both laws have been used to legitimise state repression against opposing ideas and individuals.”

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News

Musicians Detained As Turkey Continues Its War On The Kurdish People

October 10, 2019 Shouts - Music from the Rooftops! Leave a comment

Trump and the U.S. government supposedly gave Turkey the green light on military strikes in Syria, again, attacking Kurdish forces, stating that they are developing terrorism in the area.

Kurdish musicians have also felt the consequences. Members of ‘Dewran’ who performs songs in Turkish language at weddings, as well as members of another band, have been detained on grounds of inciting terrorism with their propaganda.

We at Shouts call for these artists’
immediate release.

Unfortunately, the above mentioned musicians are not the only examples of artist oppression for the Kurdish people. Find more examples below and also check out our interview with Lee Brickley about his album ‘Songs for Rojava’.

Governor of Adana bans concert
Police officers wanted Kurdish music to be turned off in a cafe
Batman: “Kurdish songs forbidden”
Petition for Kurdish singer and her daughter jailed in Turkey

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activism, News

This Is Illegal Music – Let’s All Share It

September 10, 2019 Halldór H Kristínarson Leave a comment

Mehdi Rajabian once served two years, of a larger sentence, in prison in Tehran, Iran, for making music. The oppression the government shows artists in the country is immense but some people, like Mehdi, continue to create beauty despite the threat of incarceration.

His latest work needs to be shared by the rest of us who are not facing the same hardship. This beautiful album, which can be streamed below, features artists from 12 middle eastern countries and includes songs recorded during war and during an escape on a boat by a refugee.

Mehdi Rajabian on Facebook
Mehdi’s profile on Freemuse

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