Reforms and Punishments Conflict on Media

Turkey's Radio and Television Higher Board (RTUK) ordered Diyarbakir's "Gun TV" (Day TV) and "Can TV" (Life TV) off the air for 30 days for broadcasting Kurdish songs and programs. The television stations stopped their broadcasts on Sunday, September 26 as a complaint they made to a local court was not concluded.

"Gun TV" employees covered their mouths with black bandages with "RTUK" written on them, to protest the decision, and attended the live "Music Land" program.

Mehmet Dalgic, an official of the "Can TV" told bianet that they had to stop broadcasts because the court did not make a decision.

Gur: The situation is in conflict with the reforms

Zafer Gur, the head of the board of directors of the "Gun Radio TV," who attended the Music Land Special program, said "implementations that limit the public's right to information, which is one of the basic principles of democracy, have to end."

Gur said that was the way they protested RTUK's decision to order the station off the air for 30 days.

Gur said it was a real contradiction that RTUK was handing out such punishments while accepting applications for braodcasting in Kurdish. "It is against democracy that stations are being punished for broadcasting Kurdish conversations, while the government is making certain legal amendments to get a date from the European Union on December 17 to start accession negotiations," said Gur.

Penalty for Kurdish songs and conversation

During a meeting on August 17 and 25, RTUK decided to punish Gun TV for broadcasting programs that "violate the state's existence and independence, the state's indivisible integrity with its country and people, and the principles and reforms of Ataturk."

RTUK said Gun TV made these violations by broadcasting a music program on November 20, 2003, which included a Kurdish song, and a symposium called "Diyarbakir is Discussing Local Administrations," on December 3,4 and 5, 2003, which included Kurdish conversations.

Can TV was punished for the "Music Program" and "News Program" both broadcast on January 7, 2004. RTUK said these programs "incited violence, terror, ethnic discrimination and promoted hatred and enmity." (EO/BB/EA/YE)