New Center- Kurdish musician Nudem Durak was arrested in 2015 for singing Kurdish songs and sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization”. In a column published by L’ 'Humanité, (English: “Humanity”) newspaper published in Paris, dozens of artists, writers, film directors and musicians, including Aslı Erdoğan, Pınar Selek and Ece Temelkuran from Turkey, called the release of Nudem Durak, who is also a vocalist of Koma Sorxwin (Kurdish musical group).

“Since April 2015, a young Kurdish singer has been held in prison. Her name is Nudem Durak. She ran a cultural center on a voluntary basis and sang about the democratic, political and cultural struggle of her people. For the ruling party, this is called “terrorism”, but Nudem Durak is not a member of a party; she only becomes the voice of a historically oppressed minority through her voice, through her art. The singer is therefore serving a 19-year prison sentence for her courage and her ideas. She is to be released in 2034. From prison, Nudem Durak demands to be tried again. Her trial was not a real trial. Nudem Durak is not a “terrorist”! Nudem Durak must not remain in prison until 2034! Justice for her and for all political prisoners!”

Signatories:

Canadian musician Bryan Adams, American musician Tunde Adebimpe, Musical band Massive Attack, Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani, Palestinian film actor Saleh Bakri, French actress Jeanne Balibar, French actress Juliette Binoche, French actress Rachida Brakni, South African writer Breyten Breytenbach, French actor Éric Cantona, Chilean-French filmmaker Carmen Castillo, Spanish film director Isabel Coixet, American artist Molly Crabapple, Italian novelist Erri De Luca, American filmmaker Sara Driver, British musician Brian Eno, Turkish writer Aslı Erdoğan, French writer Annie Ernaux, British musician Peter Gabriel, French actress Anouk Grinberg, French film director Robert Guédiguian, Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, Chilean-American composer Nicolas Jaar, American film director Jim Jarmusch, Finnish film director Aki Kaurismaki, American rapper Talib Kweli, British screenwriter Paul Laverty, British film director Ken Loach, British-Australian actress Miriam Margolyes, Tunisian singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi, American actress Sepideh Moafi, American guitarist Thurston Moore, American guitarist Tom Morello, British musician Charlie Reid, Indian author Arundhati Roy, American actor Mark Ruffalo, Turkish author Pınar Selek, Indian-French author Shumona Sinha, Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, American musician Serj Tankian, Turkish journalist and author Ece Temelkuran, Chilean-French singer Ana Tijoux, French writer Éric Vuillard, American playwright V/Eve Ensler, American novelist Alice Walker and PEN Afrikaans.