Radio Station Contests Closure

According to representatives of the Radio Station "Anatolia's Voice", which started broadcasting in 1999, the administrative court in Ankara has not reversed the decision of the Supreme Council of Radio and Television (RTÜK) to revoke the station's broadcasting license. The radio station says that the court has affirmed RTÜK's decision, and that financial losses of the station due to closure have been ignored.

RTÜK biased

In the statement by the radio station, it was said that "the court has chosen to affirm a decision by RTÜK, which is known for its injust, biased and anti-democratic decisions. RTÜK allows a lot of degenerate, insulting broadcasts, but the life of dissident radio stations is made difficult. RTÜK cannot bear to hear alternative voices, and sets random limits to democracy and freedom." The radio station had been closed indefinitely on 9 February.

Reasons for closure

In 2006, RTÜK had initially decided to close "Anatolia's Voice" for thirty days because of broadcasts from 2003. A song by Ahmet Kaya, a deceased singer who had been outspoken about Kurdish language rights, a broadcast related to the Kurdish issue, comments on a prison intervention to stop hungerstrikes, and critical remarks about the then Minister of Justice, Hikmet Sami Türk, were all shown as justification for closure.

Not the first time

"Anatolia's Voice" was closed for a total of three months between 2000 and 2001, and members of the management board have faced numerous trials. After each closure by RTÜK, the station was taken to court for "spreading propaganda of an illegal organisation" and "inciting hatred". (EÖ/TK/AG)