After hearing about the "Turkish model" while reporing on the Arab Spring, Jenna Krajeski decided to dig deeper. Her research led her to the Kurds and the Turkish government's record on human rights. Specifically, she discovered the story of the "stone-throwing kids," Kurdish youth who were arrested after throwing stones at police. Because of Turkey's strict anti-terror laws, these children, many as young as 12 years old, were convicted as adults for terrorism.

In July 2010, Turkey softened its laws and released some of these prisoners. Krajeski looks at what life after prison is like for these young Kurds: How has their prison experiences affected their outlook on Turkey and Kurdistan?

Project

While Turkey positions itself as a model for the "moderate" Islamic world, its Kurdish "stone-throwing kids"—imprisoned as terrorists—are at a crossroads between integration and radicalization.
April 24, 2012 / Untold Stories
Jenna Krajeski
A day in the life of Abdullah Demirbas, the pro-Kurdish mayor of the Sur district in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir.
March 30, 2012 / The Caravan
Jenna Krajeski
Diyarbakır’s 1.5 million Kurdish residents are isolated from western Turkey; they are dismissed, vilified, feared. Now they are on TV.