Kurdish musician Nudem Durak had been held in prison for 11 years under prison sentences totaling 19 years and six months in two separate cases in which her music and artistic activities were also cited as grounds for the charges. Durak, from the Kumçatı town of Şırnak, was detained and arrested on 22 April 2015. Her musical activities at the Mem û Zîn Association were included in the case files in which she was convicted of “membership in an organization.” Durak, held at Erzincan Women’s Closed Prison, suffered from toxic goiter, osteoporosis and eye disorders. Applications to postpone the execution of her sentence on health grounds were rejected. Her mother Hatice Durak said her daughter risked losing her voice as a result of goiter surgery and that a guitar sent to the prison was not allowed inside. International campaigns calling for Durak’s release received support from figures including Roger Waters, Peter Gabriel, Angela Davis, Noam Chomsky, Ken Loach and Mark Ruffalo. Hatice Durak argued that her daughter was punished for singing in Kurdish and called for her release and access to necessary healthcare.
23 October 2026
JINNEWS