Kurdish prisoner Agit Kortak, who is being held in Erzincan High Security Closed Prison, was sentenced to 11 days in solitary confinement over Kurdish songs found in his notebooks.

When Kortak was transferred from Diyarbakır Prison to Erzincan on October 30, 2024, he brought his notebooks with him.

According to a report by the Mezopotamya Agency, the Prison Letter Commission refused to hand over the notebooks to Kortak, citing that the writings contained excerpts from Abdullah Öcalan’s book “The Sociology of Freedom” and lyrics of some Kurdish songs and revolutionary Turkish songs. The songs in question include “Dil Dixwaze Here Cengî,” “Kızıl Güller Açınca,” and “İsyan Ateşi.”

Due to the content, the Prison Disciplinary Board initiated a disciplinary investigation against Kortak on December 25, 2024, on charges of conducting organizational propaganda and educational activities. As a result of the investigation, Kortak was sentenced to solitary confinement.

In a letter he sent to Sezai Temelli, deputy group chair of the DEM Party, Kortak stated that the songs and notes in question were not intended for propaganda purposes and that his notebooks had not been confiscated during his previous prison terms.

Kortak also reported that the release of many political prisoners was prevented by the Administration and Monitoring Boards, and that the prison administration defended the human rights violations by saying, “We are only enforcing the laws and regulations.”