ANKARA – Süheyla Taş, who became widely known for singing the song “Suphan Mountain” while in prison, said that the first thing she did after her release was to watch Abdullah Öcalan’s video message. “The struggle continues. We will take our place in democratic politics,” she said.

 

Süheyla Taş, who had been imprisoned at Ankara Sincan Women’s Closed Prison since 2017, was released on April 24 after nearly 10 years in prison. She was greeted with great enthusiasm outside the prison and reunited with those waiting for her while wearing a braided shawl sent by the Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad – TJA) for International Women’s Day, which had previously been rejected by the prison administration.

 

Süheyla Taş became widely known for singing the song “Suphan Mountain” during a phone call with her mother on the 83rd day of hunger strikes launched by Kurdish politician Leyla Güven in 2019. She also spoke about obstacles to prisoner releases, imposed “remorse” conditions, and decisions by prison administrative boards, as well as the Peace and Democratic Society Process.

 

LONGING FOR SKY AND SOIL

 

Süheyla Taş said the first thing she encountered upon release was the sky. “I looked at the sky for a while because in prison you can only see a small slice of it. A vast sky greeted me. When I first stepped out, I actually wanted to touch the soil, but everything was concrete. There was nowhere to step on earth. In prison, if you ask anyone what they miss most, the answer would be ‘stepping on soil,’” she said.

 

WATCHED OCALAN’S MESSAGE

 

Süheyla Taş stated that after her release, she first watched Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s video message released on July 9, noting that previously she had only been able to see his photograph on television channels.

 

She added that she had applied multiple times in prison to watch the message, arguing that since it had been approved for broadcast by the Ministry of Justice, she had the right to view it as someone involved in the Kurdish political movement. However, her requests were repeatedly denied.

 

She said: “They never responded. I applied a second time, again no reply. I submitted another petition with the same content. This time they said it could be allowed if approved by the administration after reviewing documents. I applied again, but this time it was rejected by the prosecutor. Unfortunately, that’s why I couldn’t watch it.”

 

STORY OF ‘SUPHAN MOUNTAIN’

 

Süheyla Taş also shared the story behind the song. She said that during the hunger strike period, she frequently dreamed of comrades who had died in the struggle for freedom.

 

Süheyla Taş said: “There was a friend named Gelhat Gever, who was killed in Nusaybin. He used to play the bağlama and sing ‘Suphan Mountain’ beautifully. I saw him in my dream playing and singing it to me. During a phone call with my mother, I said, ‘I will sing this song for him.’ If he sang it to me in my dream, then I had to carry it outside.”

 

‘A SPECIAL POLICY WAS IMPLEMENTED’

 

Süheyla Taş said they had faced serious rights violations in Sincan Prison since 2021, including repeated postponements of releases and imposed remorse requirements. “Since 2021, there had been no ‘conditional release’ as they call it. For the first time, we were released by a board decision together with Elif Çetinbaş. I think that was because it became clear that a special policy was being implemented in Sincan,” she said.

 

She noted that another prisoner, Fatma Aslan, who appeared before the board on the same day, had her release postponed by nine months, despite being eligible for release.

 

Süheyla Taş emphasized that such postponements have no legal basis, stating: “If there were a legal basis, we could pursue a legal struggle. But this is entirely arbitrary, a rejection imposed in a completely authoritarian manner. It is a direct denial of our identity.”

 

PRISON CONDITIONS AND RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

 

Süheyla Taş described various practices in prison, including disciplinary punishments for minor issues, removal of plants they tried to grow, and penalties for celebrating events like Newroz and International Women’s Day. She also highlighted overcrowding among ordinary prisoners, stating: “In rooms where five of us stay, there are now 40 ordinary prisoners. They face violence, and when they ask to be moved, they are ignored.”

 

‘WE WILL TAKE OUR PLACE IN DEMOCRATIC POLITICS’

 

Evaluating the broader political process, Süheyla Taş said it is not a “give-and-take process” but a “process of existence.” She said: “In a place like Colemêrg (Hakkari), where I am from, being a child means being born into war. Your language and culture are not recognized. You are denied. That is no longer the situation we are in now.”

 

She concluded by emphasizing the importance of democratic politics: “Since democratic politics lies ahead, we will try to take our place in it as much as we can. This struggle also requires legal ground. But with the current legal framework, how far can we go? That is a question that needs to be answered.”

 

MA / Sema Bingol