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Mob attack on Kurdish funeral sparks outrage in Turkey

A mob attack on the funeral of a prominent Kurdish politician’s mother is seen as an indication of the high level of polarization Turkey has reached.
Pro-Kurdish former lawmakers Leyla Zana (R) and Aysel Tugluk who were banned from politics attend a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2010. Newroz, which means "new day" in Kurdish, marks the arrival of spring and is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tajikistan. Newroz has long served as a rallying cry for Kurdish nationalism and public celebrations were illegal in Turkey until 2000, when fighting between security forces and separatist
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Aysel Tugluk, the deputy chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), is a well-known Kurdish politician in Turkey who is currently in jail on terrorism-related charges, like many other HDP members. But the reason her name made headlines this week was unprecedented.

On Sept. 13, Tugluk received special permission to attend the funeral of her mother, who died while her daughter remained behind bars. Hatun Tugluk had wished to be buried in Ankara's Incek Cemetery, which she could see from a window in her home.

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