Turkish signage crisis in Diyarbakır: Warning issued to municipality for obscuring Turkish

In Diyarbakır, the Kocaköy Municipality's sign sparked controversy after the Turkish section was left in the dark while the Kurdish section was illuminated. Following the backlash, the District Governor's Office intervened.

Don't leave your news choices to an algorithm - decide for yourself what you read. Add 12punto to your preferred sources!

Turkish signage crisis in Diyarbakır: Warning issued to municipality for obscuring Turkish

In the Kocaköy district of Diyarbakır, it was noted that only the Kurdish section of the municipal sign was illuminated. Leaving the text "T.C. Kocaköy Belediyesi" (Republic of Turkey Kocaköy Municipality) in the dark sparked a reaction among the local public.

Following the incident coming to light, the Kocaköy District Governor's Office sent an official letter to the municipality requesting that the situation be rectified.

OFFICIAL WARNING FROM THE DISTRICT GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

In the letter sent by the District Governor's Office, it was recalled that the official language of the Republic of Turkey is Turkish, and it was emphasized that the current state of the sign is contrary to the Constitution and the laws.

The warning letter included the following statements:

“It has been determined that in your municipality's sign lighting, the Turkish expressions (T.C. Kocaköy Belediyesi) are turned off, while non-Turkish expressions are turned on. The language of the Republic of Turkey is Turkish. Both Law No. 2709 (the Constitution) and Law No. 1353 mandate the use of Turkish by public institutions. It is not possible to render the Constitution and laws ineffective through lighting or obscuring.”

WARNING THAT “AN INVESTIGATION MAY BE OPENED”

The letter further stated that if the obscuring of the sign was due to a malfunction, it must be repaired, and if there was an intentional act, it would be necessary to open an investigation into those responsible.