aims to revive the Kurds’ decades-long efforts to use their language freely , especially in education . The struggle has been in a lull since settlement talks between Ankara and the Kurds collapsed in 2015. The breakup of the peace process reignited clashes between the security forces and armed Kurdish militants, followed by a ferocious clampdown on Kurdish political quarters that saw the seizure of Kurdish-run local administrations and the arrest of dozens of senior Kurdish politicians, including parliament members.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Nine Kurdish parties in Turkey have joined forces in a fresh drive to fight for more language rights and shield Kurdish from what they see as the creeping danger of assimilation and oblivion.

De facto restrictions on the Kurdish language and even Kurdish music continued for yearsbefore a ban was put into effect after the 1980 military coup. The 1983 law prohibited “the expression, dissemination and publication of thoughts in languages other than the first official languages of states recognized by the Turkish state.” The ban was abolished in 1991 thanks to efforts by then-premier Turgut Ozal, but restrictions continued on the ground.

The biggest gains for the Kurds came in the 2000s, when Ankara initiated democratic reforms to support its bid to join the European Union. The government created a Kurdish-language TV channel and introduced elective courses in Kurdish in public schools.

The use of Kurdish proliferated, but the authorities often remained vindictive. In 2009, for instance, Kurdish mayors were sued for printing festival invitations in Kurdish, with the official accusation being that the invitations