Woman on remand in north for ‘reading books’

A 48-year-old woman, a senior member of the Turkish Cypriot Republican Party (CTP), was arrested in the north on Monday in connection with possession of a book that is banned in Turkey, written by leader of the Kurdish Workers’ Party, the PKK.

Bengul Garginsu, who is of Kurdish origin, has been remanded in custody for two days accused of possessing a banned book and PKK propaganda.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the USA, the EU and Japan.

Her lawyer told Yeni Duzen newspaper that his client was accused of reading books. He said the authorities in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state did not even know the contents of the book. He denied that she was engaging in propaganda on behalf of the PKK.

Reports said a PKK flag was also found at her home.

People took to social media wondering whether there was a list of banned books in the north like in Turkey. Academics, politicians and journalists asked for the list to be published if it existed.

There were also suggestions of human rights violations since authorities essentially raided a house and arrested someone for reading a book.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.