ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The province of Diyarbakir, in the Kurdish-majority southeast of Turkey, banned chants of the iconic phrase Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) during protests on Saturday, according to politicians and the media.

At a demonstration by the pro-Kurdish women-only party, the Free Women’s Movement, in Diyarbakir (known to Kurds as Amed) on Saturday, security forces asked demonstrators to stop chanting ” Jin, Jiyan, Azadi,” citing a government decision. office that declared the phrase “propaganda for a terrorist organization,” reported Mezopotamya Agency, a pro-Kurdish media outlet based in Türkiye.

The outlet published videos in which a police officer could be heard using a megaphone to tell protesters to refrain from using “organizational terminology” as the crowd chanted “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi.”

Protesters ignored police warnings and continued their chants and hooting.

Rudaw English contacted the Diyarbakir governor’s office, but it was not immediately available for comment.

The slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” was first used in the early 2000s by the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), an all-female Kurdish armed force in Syria. It regained popularity and spread worldwide in 2022 during nationwide protests in Iran sparked by the death of Zhina Mahsa Amini, who was killed while in the custody of the morality police for having allegedly wore a lax hijab.

MPs and leaders of the pro-Kurdish Party for People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) condemned the governor’s decision.

“Yes, the Diyarbakır Governor’s Office made a completely unreasonable decision. Unfortunately, in Türkiye, Kurds and Kurdish cities are no longer governed by the rule of law. Rather, they are governed by the arbitrary practices of governors, district governors and security chiefs, which have no legal basis,” Mehmet Kamac, DEM party MP from Diyarbakir, told Rudaw English.

Kamac said governors were overstepping their roles and “taking on the roles of the judiciary and the courts.”

“The problem is not just banning slogans. From appointing administrators to arresting politicians, governors, not courts, became the primary decision-makers. The slogan “Jin Jiyan Azadi” is not something a governor can ban,” Kamac added.

He said they do not recognize the decision of the governor’s office and will continue to use this chant.

We will forever express what made us who we are today; JIN JIYAN AZADÎ!#JinJiyanAzadi

– Eda Duzgun (@Eda_Dzg) November 23, 2024

Several DEM party members wrote this slogan on their social media accounts and the party issued a statement promising to continue using this expression.

“Jin Jiyan Azadi is not just a slogan, it is a truth and the philosophy of our struggle. You cannot erase this truth or distract us from our struggle for freedom by imposing bans. Our struggle will continue and Jin Jiyan Azadi will continue to illuminate our path forward,” the party said.

Protests took place this weekend in Turkey’s majority-Kurdish provinces after the Interior Ministry announced it was removing several more Kurdish mayors from their posts over allegations they had links to the terrorism and that he replaced them with administrators.

International rights groups have criticized the policy of impeaching mayors.

“Denying hundreds of thousands of voters their local government’s elected representatives and replacing them with government-appointed representatives not only undermines the democratic process, but also violates the right to free and fair elections,” Hugh Williamson, director of Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights. Look, said earlier this month.