According to KurdPress, the 24th Monzur Culture and Nature Festival began with the slogan “For a free life, we protect our nature, language, culture and belief” in Dersim, one of the important provinces of Turkish Kurdistan, and its programs continued from Seyyed Reza Square to the cities of Pulur and Porteg and the holy springs of Monzur.By holding marches, Alevi rituals, concerts, Halperki group dances, and cultural meetings, the participants expressed their opposition to mining activities, environmental destruction, and the policy of appointing government administrators to municipalities. At the same time, they called for the protection of the Kurdish language and culture and for practical steps to be taken to achieve peace and equal citizenship.

The festival began with a march from Honar Street to Seyyed Reza Square in Dersim. Along the way, attendees chanted slogans in Kurdish in support of nature, culture, and freedom, and expressed their opposition to the implementation of mining projects in Dersim and the appointment of government supervisors instead of elected mayors.

The controversial case of Golestan Doku, a young student whose fate remains unknown, was another topic raised at the opening ceremony. Participants and speakers called for the dimensions of this case to be clarified and for the responsible institutions to be held accountable.

Speakers at the ceremony emphasized that the Monzur Festival is more than a music and entertainment program, and helps recreate the history, culture, and beliefs of the people of Dersim and pass them on to new generations.Eyten Kordu, a Dersim representative from the Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party), also called for the establishment of a truth-finding commission to investigate the case of the disappeared. He said that achieving lasting peace would not be possible without the struggle for democracy, justice and equal citizenship.

The opening program continued after the speeches with music and group dance performances by the participants.

Following the festival, concerts and gatherings were held in the towns of Ploor (Ovacik) and Pertegh (Pertek).

Before the Ploor concert, a protest march against mining activities began in front of the Dem Parti County Organization Office and continued in the city center. Along the way, participants expressed their opposition to mining operations by clapping, cheering, and repeating the slogan "We don't want a mine in Dersim." After the march, a concert was held in front of the Ploor Municipality, and citizens danced and stomped to the tune of the Dahl before the program began.

Ayten Kordu said at the ceremony that despite the denial and killing policies of the past, the struggle of the people of Dersim to preserve their identity, culture, and land continues.Referring to the case of Gulistan Doku (a student girl who was killed but whose case remains unresolved), he said that the network of relationships related to this case extends to Ankara and emphasized that legal and political follow-up will continue.

Okan Aydin, Ofuk Coşkun, Murat Akar, Kadir Güneş, Tolga Akgul, Behzad Firik Music Group, Mehmet Ekici, Petra Nachtmanova and the Monzur Group were among the artists who took the stage at the Pleur concert. The program ended with group dances by the participants.

A concert was also held in the garage area of ​​the villages in Perteğ. Huseyin Toluk, the head of the Perteğ Associations, said in the program that the geography of Dersim is threatened by energy policies and that people must form a common struggle to protect their land.Yaşar Gülincik, president of the Dersim Federation of Associations (DEDEF), also said: “The Monzur Festival is not just for fun; it is about protecting our past, beliefs and nature. Our region has been targeted for centuries. Monzur is not just a river, it is life itself. We will defend Monzur and our nature.”

Birsen Orhan, the dismissed co-mayor of Dersim, who was replaced by a caretaker government, said that the Monzur Festival has faced numerous bans in the past and that nature, beliefs and social values ​​of the people of the region have also been put under pressure.

He also accused the authorities and some institutions of failing to clarify the fate of Gulistan Doku, saying: “The peace process that has been going on for 17 months is the process of all of us. This geography has suffered a lot for many years and this process was started to end the war.We don’t want to be the other side of this country; that’s why we talk about peace.”

The parade continued with songs performed by local artists, and the participants accompanied them with group dances.