Court suspends blackout penalty on TELE1 TV over 'PKK' remarks

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The Ankara 4th Administrative Court has granted a stay of execution, overturning a seven-day broadcasting suspension on TELE1 TV.

The court's decision has invalidated the blackout penalty imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), which was set to take effect today.

RTÜK had cited Article 8/b of the Law on the Establishment and Broadcasting Services of Radio and Television, which allows for the cancellation of broadcasting licenses if the article is violated three times within a year, as the basis for the penalty.

This was the second penalty faced by TELE1 channel this year, with the previous one also being based on the same article. However, the suspended penalty will not affect the channel's license until the final outcome of the court's decision is reached.

The broadcasting suspension was originally imposed due to statements made by Merdan Yanardağ, the chief editor of TELE1, during a live broadcast in which he criticized the prison conditions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader, Abdullah Öcalan. Yanardağ's remarks highlighted the denial of Öcalan's right to meet with his lawyers and family, calling into question the penal enforcement regime and the isolation imposed on him.

Chief editor's arrest

Due to his remarks, Yanardağ was detained on June 26 and arrested the next day on charges of "making terrorist propaganda" and "praising crime and criminals."

On July 11, the court returned an indictment containing these charges against Yanardağ, but three days later, the appeal against his detention was also rejected. Yanardağ's initial hearing is scheduled for October.

During the program in question in late June, Yanardağ had said, "Abdullah Öcalan is over 70 years old and it must be acknowledged that he has been continuously imprisoned and isolated for a very long time, 25 years. He is the longest-serving political prisoner in Turkey.

"According to the penal enforcement laws, he should actually be released, placed under house arrest, etc. The isolation imposed on Abdullah Öcalan has no place in law. It should be lifted. We don't see, hear, or discuss it. We don't know if he is being monitored or not.

"But you are holding him hostage, bargaining with him. You are threatening through him. He cannot even meet with his family or lawyers. Can such an execution regime exist? Abdullah Öcalan is not someone to be taken lightly. He has practically become a philosopher in prison because all he does is read.

"He is an extremely intelligent person who understands politics correctly, sees it correctly, and analyzes it correctly."

Since his incarceration in 1999, Öcalan has been permitted only a few visits with his lawyers and family members.

The investigation into Yanardağ's statements came after the circulation of selectively edited portions of his speech on social media. (HA/VK)