Mehmet Arslan, editor of the local radio station Dünya in Adana, was on trial for having played the song ‘Keçe Kurdan’ (‘Kurdish girl’) in a recording by Aynur Doğan. on 13 November 2007 between the hours 14:20-16:00 pm. He was charged with “inciting people to hatred and hostility” because of the lyrics of the song.

However, on 19 March the court acquitted Arslan, stating that “as the lyrics had been examined, no elements in the song to incite hatred or hostility among the people has been found.”

Mehmet Arslan and Radio Dünya had been going through a similar court case — at that time for on 16 October 2007 to have played the song entitled ‘Mihemendo’ in a recording by the famous and exiled Kurdish singer Şivan Perwer. The Anti-terrorism unit of the Adana police had filed a complaint, but the Adana 2nd Criminal Court acquitted the radio station.

No evidence of incitement to hatred
At the third hearing at the Adana 2nd Criminal Court, the radio broadcaster, tried without detention, rejected the accusation of “incitement to hatred and hostility.” Bianet's reporter Erol Önderoğlu writes that Mehmet Arslan argued that not only did the folk song not contain any lyrics to incite the public to hatred or hostility, the song is found on one of Aynur Doğan’s cassettes which is sold in public with the tax stamp of the Ministry of Culture.

Mehmet Arslan’s lawyer, Kenan Karavil, added expert opinions to the file, saying that some of the translations of the song into Turkish had been distorted, and that the song did not contain anything criminal.

Prosecutor Hasan Öz demanded acquittal for Arslan, saying that a consideration of the song and other songs on the singer’s cassette showed that there was no “clear and present danger” of incitement.

Head judge Recai Kaya then acquitted Arslan.

Afterwards, the Contemporary Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD) in Adana spoke to the press in front of the court, demanding that there be an end to the repression of Kurdish.