Turkish TV mutes audio after old woman starts speaking Kurdish
Turkey’s pro-government ATV turned the volume down when an old woman started speaking Kurdish with her daughter whom she has seen after a long time during a reality show presented by one of Turkey’s prominent woman TV celebrities.
The touching scene unfolded as Mrs. Besime, a Kurdish woman apparently in her sixties came to the platform of “Esra Erol show” in tears, and hugged her daughter Gulay Toma who left her long ago. Soon after, Mrs. Besime started expressing her emotions in Kurdish language when the stage management muted broadcast audio completely.
"Kutkê te hene. Qurbana te me. Keçka min," she said, meaning “You have children, for God’s sake, my daughter.”
ATV, Kızıyla Kürtçe konuşan annenin sesini kesti
— Gazete Emek (@gazeteemek) December 13, 2022
Esra Erol'da programında göremediği kızı Gülay Toma’ya kavuşan anne Besime, kendisini Kürtçe ifade etmeye başlayınca ATV programın sesini kapattı. Esra Erol ise anneye "Ben seni anlamıyorum" diyerek Türkçe konuşmasını istedi. pic.twitter.com/XFBDU7RrAi
Realizing the bitter reaction of the presenter, her daughter said "My mother does not know much Turkish" and translated her words.
“Aunt Besime, you feel sorry for your daughter, and I understand. But I want to understand what you're saying too," Esra Erol said.
The incident was met with a heavy reaction by social media users who asked ATV administration to apologize.
In August, another Turkish TV presenter Didem Aslan Yilmaz also cut the line when a guest on the phone was speaking Kurdish during a live programme on Turkey’s Show TV.
