Newroz gained political significance for the Kurdistan Freedom Struggle and was first celebrated on a mass scale in Northern Kurdistan in 1991. After a long struggle, the celebrations moved from backstreets to public squares and grew into massive gatherings attended by millions.

In the 1990s, the Turkish state attacked Newroz celebrations across Northern Kurdistan, massacring dozens of people. Celebration areas were shut down, and attendees were detained and imprisoned. Despite all these pressures, Newroz squares became powerful arenas of resistance.

As Newroz celebrations began to grow into mass gatherings in 1991, thousands of people from Nusaybin (Nisêbîn) to Istanbul, Adana, Cizre, Kulp, Hani, and Diyarbakır (Amed) participated. Police and military forces opened fire on the crowds, resulting in the massacre of 31 people.

Massacres and oppression

In 1992, then-Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel declared, “Everyone is free to celebrate Newroz.” However, security forces attacked the celebrations, massacring 94 people. While state officials repeated the claim that “those killed were members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),” the truth was undeniable—among the victims were 5-year-old Hatice Katar, 9-year-old Mehdi Güngen, 70-year-old Ramazan Bayer, and 65-year-old Nebahat Kakuç. Turkish forces also targeted journalists covering the celebrations. During these attacks, İzzet Kezer, a journalist for Sabah newspaper, was shot in the forehead and killed.

1999 Newroz

As the first Newroz following the handover of Abdullah Öcalan to the Turkish state as a result of the international conspiracy (the day in which he was abducted in Kenya), the 1999 celebrations took place under heavy police blockade and violent attacks. According to a statement by the Human Rights Association (IHD), 8,174 people were detained across Turkey, and hundreds were severely injured.

The state attack

Mass Newroz celebrations took place in Van (Wan), Hakkari (Colemêrg), and Yüksekova (Gever) on March 21-24, 2008. In these areas, intense attacks by police and military forces resulted in the deaths of Ramazan Dal, Zeki Erinç, and 20-year-old İkbal Yaşar.

Bans and the law of enmity

In 2012, the Turkish Ministry of Interior banned Newroz celebrations in several major cities, including Diyarbakır, Batman (Êlîh), and Istanbul. In Diyarbakır, police forces surrounded the party’s provincial headquarters, blocked roads, and attempted to prevent politicians from reaching the celebration area. However, the people, with immense resistance and determination, broke through the barricades and flooded into the Newroz square. Overwhelmed by the scale of the resistance, police forces were forced to withdraw. Despite the full force of state repression and the imposed ban, more than one million people made their way to the Newroz grounds from all directions, destroying every barrier in their path. That year, there were no traditional dances, no artists took the stage, but the slogans never ceased to echo through the crowd.

Blossoming hope for peace

The 2013 Newroz, celebrated under the slogan ‘Freedom for Öcalan, Status for the Kurds,’ was marked by the manifesto of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Diyarbakır witnessed the largest Newroz gathering in history, with nearly two million people joining the celebrations.

With the spirit of self-governance

The 2016 Newroz took place under the shadow of conflict and destruction following the declaration of self-governance. The massacre of civilians in the basements of Cizre and the killings of Kurdish youths in the streets left a deep mark on that year’s celebrations. For this reason, Newroz was held under the slogan ‘We will win through resistance.’

War and the practice of enmity

Despite war, destruction, the state of emergency, and intensified military operations, hundreds of thousands once again filled the squares for the 2017 Newroz. In Diyarbakır, the killing of Kemal Kurkut—who was half-naked when he was shot dead under the claim of being a 'suicide bomber suspect' as he tried to enter the Newroz grounds—sparked widespread outrage.

The revival of hope for peace

The hope for peace first blossomed in the Diyarbakır Newroz of 2013. After being shattered in 2015, this hope was revived by Mr. Öcalan’s 'Call for Peace and a Democratic Society,' which was shared on February 27. The Kurdish people, along with other peoples of the Middle East, are celebrating Newroz in the spirit of renewed hope for peace. Once again, all eyes and ears will be on Diyarbakır today as Newroz is celebrated on 21 March.