Local TV wins Security Document Case

A court canceled the prime ministrys demand to change some of the board members of Malatyas Gunes TV to grant the channel a Security Document. RTUK ordered Gunes TV off the air for 30 days because of its message about the suicide bomber.

Erol Önderoğlu

An Ankara court said the decision to change the partnership structure of Gunes TV for the Prime Ministry Security Document was "against the law."

The court said the information that carried the characteristics of intelligence, were not eligible to prevent the granting of Security Document. The court added there was no other allegation about the issue.

According to Lawyer Deniz Cakir, the prime ministry on February 28, 2003 rejected the television's application for a Security Document. Gunes TV had applied for the document on September 2002. The prime ministry asked Gunes TV to change some of the people on its board of directors.

Lawyer Cakir applied to court, which on October 17, 2003, decided that the prime ministry's request was against law. The court decision was delivered to the television earlier this month. It is not yet known whether the prime ministry appealed the decision.

The Radio and Television Higher Board (RTUK) also ordered Gunes TV off the air for 30 days for expressing sorrow over the death of suicide bomber Songul Akkurt.

Gunes TV sent a defense to the television watchdog in January and requested that the decision is reviewed.

If RTUK does not take the application into account, the channel will be off the air for 30 days starting on March 30.

In the news about Akkurt, who mistakenly set off the bomb as she was getting prepared for a suicide attack, the television said her body was brought to the province of Malatya to be buried.

RTUK, instead of listening to its own experts who said terrorism was not being encouraged through the broadcast, went with the request of the Police Headquarters and decided that, the channel's broadcast was "against the state's indivisible unity with its country and people." (EO/BB/EA/YE)

Origin

BÄ°A News Center

Erol Önderoğlu

[email protected]

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A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without...

A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where he began as a reporter in 1996. Since 1999, he has worked at bianet, a project of the IPS Communication Foundation, as the coordinator of the Legal Support Desk, editor for freedom of expression, and editor-in-chief. He has authored more than 4,800 signed news articles and opinion pieces. He has also written for Bizim Gazete and the journal Güncel Hukuk. He currently prepares the Media Monitoring Reports at bianet.