The Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality, controlled by the Democratic Society Party, or DTP, has replaced signs on roads that lead to villages with new signs that feature their Turkish and Kurdish names together. The move came amid the government's democratic initiatives, which suppose granting Kurds some civil rights.

Besir Atalay, minister of internal affairs made a statement recently about the government remaining positive about displaying the Kurdish names of villages. The letters of "x", "q" and "w," which are not featured in the Turkish alphabet, can now be seen on the signs, Hurriyet Daily News reported.