Eight Kurdish singers were detained on Friday by Turkish gendarmes on allegations of spreading terrorist propaganda in the Viranşehir district of Urfa province by singing in Kurdish at weddings, the Mezapotamya news website reported.

Among the detainees are Ahmet Sar, Menduh Sar, Aslan Akmış and Ünal Ayneli, members of Group Dewran. Four other singers whose names were not disclosed were also detained.

Although it is not prohibited to speak Kurdish in Turkey, it has been cited as evidence of terrorist propaganda or membership in a terrorist organization in various investigations.