Last night, Kurdish-language road signs were painted over in the district of Karakoçan in Elazığ province, which is governed by the DEM party. As in other DEM-governed municipalities, Turkish road signs telling drivers to slow down and give way to pedestrians were supplemented by the Kurdish words ‘Pêşî Peya’ (pedestrians first) and ‘Hêdî’ (slow) after the local elections in March. The Kurdish signs at pedestrian crossings in Karakoçan have now been removed by unknown persons, while the Turkish words have been left in place.

The removal of the Kurdish language from public space follows an instruction from the Turkish Ministry of the Interior and is accompanied by a wave of repression against Kurdish culture and violent crimes. In Van, Diyarbakır, Mardin, Batman and other cities, too, Kurdish traffic signs have been painted over in recent weeks.