On 25 October, Kurdish musician Gencay Morkoç was taken into custody in Istanbul alongside dozens of others in a police raid. On Monday, a court issued arrest warrants for around twenty of those detained, alleging links to a terrorist organization. The charges against Morkoç cite his participation in a picnic organized by the Istanbul-based DEM Party as evidence. Authorities claimed the picnic - an event hosted by a legal political party - served as a cover for activities associated with the PKK.

Gencay Morkoç is the lead singer of the Kurdish band Koma Hevra, known for its resistance-oriented music. In late September, Morkoç and fellow band members Zeynep Doğan and Yusuf Keleş were detained following a concert in Amed, allegedly because of their opposition to anti-Kurdish assimilation policies in Turkey.

Koma Hevra: "We Will Resist"

Koma Hevra condemned the arrest of their vocalist as a politically motivated decision lacking any legal basis. In a statement posted on X, the band criticized the rationale for Morkoç's detention as “groundless and fabricated,” and said: “This oppressive, anti-democratic system should understand that such tyrannical practices will never discourage us. On the contrary, they will strengthen our resolve. We are committed to resisting until fascism is overturned and this country becomes a garden of democracy."