Kurdish-Singing Brothers: We Became An Open Target

Mehmet Arpak and Ekrem Arpak, two Kurdish-singing brothers, organized a press conference at the Human Rights Association’s (İHD) İstanbul Headquarters, saying that they have become an open target after the suspension of Gonca Elmas’s show.

 “I salute you with my faith in people’s fraternity and peace, and thank you for your interest on this issue.” said Ekrem Arpak and explained what happened during the show.  

Arpak continued the attack towards them and Ahmet Kaya on the show was a human rights violation. He claimed that they became an open target after the suspension of the show.  

“We became an open target after the 17 pages that were published on social media. We are being called from both anonymous and obvious numbers; they’re threatening us and using the name of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)”

Arpak said, they’re not going to let themselves being politicized and pulled towards any sides. They said they have already filed a criminal complaint, but the police haven’t taken any precautionary measures yet. 

“Authorities must ensure our safety”

Mehmet Arpak read the following statement:

“We were aware of the possible consequences of the situation. Our statements during and after the show were peaceful, but CEM TV media representatives misinformed the public and appeared both us and host of the show guilty.”

“Host of the show continued her racist statements after we left the show. We believe, it’s important for our country to disallow these kinds of provocations. We want our personal rights to be protected and our safety maintained.” (MA/EKN/ENÜ/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.