28 imams including DiAY-DER head Ekrem Baran were detained as part of a police operation carried out on July 3 against members of the Democratic Islamic Congress (DIK) and Religious Scholars Association (DIAY-DER) in Istanbul.

During their detention, the imams were asked "Why they did not read the khutbah of the Diyanet” and “Why they preached sermons in Kurdish”.

One of the imams, Ibrahim Yalin who was detained for seven days and released on condition of judicial control, said that the door of his house was broken during the police raid, and he was subjected to psychological violence by the police.

“Many of our imams are accused of preaching in Kurdish. If preaching in Kurdish is a crime, half of Turkey is guilty as well,” Yalin said.

A religious scholar Fahrettin Ulgun said that the police asked them whether they collect money for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which Turkey considers as a “terrorist organization”.

Hussein Bogatekin, lawyer of the arrested DIK and DIAY-DER members and member of the Lawyers' Association for Freedom (OHD) said that Kurdish language is criminalized by the Turkish authorities.

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