By Murat Bayram — International Mother Language Day, February 21 Every February 21, the world marks International Mother Language Day — a UNESCO-designated occasion to […]
Silence in the Mother Tongue: The Invisible Crisis of Kurdish Media in Turkey
By Murat Bayram — International Mother Language Day, February 21 Every February 21, the world marks International Mother Language Day — a UNESCO-designated occasion to celebrate linguistic diversity and the fundamental right to receive information, education, and culture in one's native language. For Turkey's 25 million Kurdish citizens, the day is less a celebration than a measure of distance: how far the right to news in one's mother tongue remains from reality. The numbers are unambiguous. Turkey's Kurdish speakers have access to only four Turkey-based daily news sites in their own language. Among the country's 2,071 newspapers, not one publishes…
Amedspor Board Pledges Action Against Referee Errors and Fan Restrictions
The club's consultative body met to address systemic inequalities and announced a legal complaint against a Sakaryaspor executive The Amedspor Consultative Board convened on Feb. 20, 2026, to address a series of recent challenges facing the club, ranging from officiating errors to legal restrictions on its fanbase. In a statement following the session, the board emphasized its commitment to challenging what it described as "unlawful practices" through both judicial and diplomatic channels. Referee conduct and stadium bans The board identified officiating errors during recent matches as "unacceptable" and stated that efforts to seek redress with relevant sports authorities are ongoing.…
Language scorecard of DEM Party municipalities: 45 websites remain Turkish-only
By Azad Altay, MA February 19, 2026 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The two-year performance of municipalities held by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party regarding the Kurdish language has remained largely limited to awareness-raising activities. Despite the party’s platform prioritizing mother-tongue rights, only two out of 62 municipalities have opened multilingual daycares. Data reveals that 45 municipal websites continue to operate solely in Turkish, highlighting a significant gap in the implementation of election promises. Digital and educational shortcomings More than two years after local elections, digital integration of the Kurdish language remains stagnant. Websites for major hubs and districts, including…
Silence in the Mother Tongue: The Invisible Crisis of Kurdish Media in Turkey
By Murat Bayram — International Mother Language Day, February 21 Every February 21, the world…
Amedspor Board Pledges Action Against Referee Errors and Fan Restrictions
The club's consultative body met to address systemic inequalities and announced a legal complaint against…
Language scorecard of DEM Party municipalities: 45 websites remain Turkish-only
By Azad Altay, MA February 19, 2026 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The two-year performance of municipalities…
World Radio Day: from the United States to the Sahel, from the Amazon to the Philippines, journalism on the airwaves is under pressure
On this year’s World Radio Day, 13 February 2026, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding…
Silence in the Mother Tongue: The Invisible Crisis of Kurdish Media in Turkey
By Murat Bayram — International Mother Language Day, February 21 Every February 21, the world…
Amedspor Board Pledges Action Against Referee Errors and Fan Restrictions
The club's consultative body met to address systemic inequalities and announced a legal complaint against…
Language scorecard of DEM Party municipalities: 45 websites remain Turkish-only
By Azad Altay, MA February 19, 2026 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The two-year performance of municipalities…
World Radio Day: from the United States to the Sahel, from the Amazon to the Philippines, journalism on the airwaves is under pressure
On this year’s World Radio Day, 13 February 2026, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding…
From the Medrese to the Modern Era: A Journey with Bozarslan’s Work – Martin van Bruinessen
Kurdish intellectual Mehmed Emin Bozarslan passed away, but he left an important and lasting legacy…
Silence in the Mother Tongue: The Invisible Crisis of Kurdish Media in Turkey
By Murat Bayram — International Mother Language Day, February 21 Every February 21, the world marks International Mother Language Day — a UNESCO-designated occasion to celebrate linguistic diversity and the…
Amedspor Board Pledges Action Against Referee Errors and Fan Restrictions
The club's consultative body met to address systemic inequalities and announced a legal complaint against a Sakaryaspor executive The Amedspor Consultative Board convened on Feb. 20, 2026, to address a…
Language scorecard of DEM Party municipalities: 45 websites remain Turkish-only
By Azad Altay, MA February 19, 2026 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The two-year performance of municipalities held by the Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party regarding the Kurdish language has remained…
World Radio Day: from the United States to the Sahel, from the Amazon to the Philippines, journalism on the airwaves is under pressure
On this year’s World Radio Day, 13 February 2026, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding the alarm over the growing threats facing radio broadcasters. Attacked in conflict zones, muzzled by…
Music Beyond Borders: A short film about anti-Kurdish discrimination in Turkey
By Minority Rights Group International Join us in exploring the powerful story of a banned language and a silenced culture. This short film takes you back to the 1980s in Turkey,…
NameBT will send out weekly newsletters
Botan Times has launched a new service for its readers. Starting this week, Botan Times will send you a weekly email about the content of its publications. NameBT started releasing.…
Happiness of Forgetting
A few days ago, on 20 June, 15 people died in the fires that broke out in Mardin and Diyarbakır. We felt very sorry for them. We were sad, our…
Amedspor Board Pledges Action Against Referee Errors and Fan Restrictions
The club’s consultative body met to address systemic inequalities and announced a legal complaint against a Sakaryaspor executive The Amedspor Consultative Board convened on Feb. […]
Language scorecard of DEM Party municipalities: 45 websites remain Turkish-only
By Azad Altay, MA February 19, 2026 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The two-year performance of municipalities held by the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party regarding […]
World Radio Day: from the United States to the Sahel, from the Amazon to the Philippines, journalism on the airwaves is under pressure
On this year’s World Radio Day, 13 February 2026, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is sounding the alarm over the growing threats facing radio broadcasters. Attacked […]
From the Medrese to the Modern Era: A Journey with Bozarslan’s Work – Martin van Bruinessen
Kurdish intellectual Mehmed Emin Bozarslan passed away, but he left an important and lasting legacy of significant books and translations. He was one of my […]