Sub-governor’s office bans Kurdish theater play to be hosted by İstanbul City Theaters

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As part of a project to support private theater groups having financial difficulties amid pandemic, the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) City Theaters were scheduled to host "Bêru" (Faceless), a Kurdish theater play, yesterday evening (October 13), in a first in 106 years of history.

However, the Sub-Governor's Office of Gaziosmanpaşa, where the play was going to be staged, banned it hours before the play.

CLICK - In a first, İstanbul City Theaters will host a Kurdish theater play

The Gaziosmanpaşa District Security Directorate reportedly requested the ban on the grounds that the play was in breach of the Law no. 5442 on Provincial Administration and Law no. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations. The Sub-Governor's Office of Gaziosmanpaşa notified the decision of ban to the İMM City Theaters.

Sharing information about the name of the theater play and that of the theater group as well as when and where the play was to be staged and as part of what project, the decision of ban has indicated, "As per the Article 32/ç of the Law no. 5442 on Provincial Administration, it is among the tasks and duties of the Sub-Governor to establish peace and security, to ensure security pertaining to personal immunity, to maintain public welfare and to use preventive law enforcement authority. It stipulates that the Sub-Governor shall take necessary decisions and precautions to ensure them."

After referring to the above legislation, the Sub-Governor's Office has moved on to say that "the theater planned intended to be performed has been considered to disturb general public order."

Accordingly, the theater play has been banned "in all open and closed spaces within the borders of Gaziosmanpaşa district" as per the Article 32/ç of the Law no. 5442 on Provincial Administration and the Article 17 of the Law no. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.

TJN: We will use all channels

The theater play was to be staged by Teatra Jiyana Nû (New Life Theater), which is the theater group of the Mezopotamya Cultural Center.

Speaking to bianet about the issue, Ömer Şahin, one of the theater players of the TJN theater group, has said that they will use their all legal and lawful rights against this decision to the end.

Şahin has also indicated that another theater play of the group was previously banned, the group took legal action and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) sentenced Turkey to pay the group damages.

As underlined by Şahin, the ban in question should be objected by not only themselves as players performing Kurdish plays, but also by others performing theater plays in other languages. The group will make a detailed statement for the press in the upcoming days, Şahin has said further.

A play by Dario Fo

After the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) City Theaters made an announcement to support private theater groups amid pandemic and the TJN applied with two theater plays. "Bêrû" (Faceless) by Dario Fo from Italy was approved by the Theaters and it was planned to be staged in Gaziosmanpaşa Theater Hall of the City Theaters.

Translated into Kurdish by Dilawer Zera, directed by Nazmi Karaman and performed by Rugeş Kırıcı, Ömer Şahin, Rewşan Apaydın and Cihat Ekinci, this theater play would have marked the first Kurdish theater play to be staged in the City Theatres in their 106 years of history if it had not been banned by the sub-governor's office. (FD/SD)