Trade Ministry fines daily Evrensel over ad with yellow-green-red scarf

"The voice of those who want to live together in peace and fraternity!"

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Ministry of Trade's Directorate General of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance has fined Evrensel newspaper over an ad.

Marking the newspaper's 25th anniversary, the related video was broadcast on TELE1 channel. Evrensel is now fined 20,953 Turkish Lira (approx. 2,800 US dollars) due to its video featuring a girl with a yellow-green-red scarf in her hand during the Newroz celebrations.

While this two-second scene has been cited as the reason for the fine, the written notification has referred to the scene in following words: "...it featured a girl holding a rag symbolizing the terrorist organization..."

CLICK - Media authority fines TELE 1 TV for 'praising terrorism' over ad with yellow-green-red scarf

According to the written notice delivered to Evrensel, the following law articles and clauses have been allegedly violated by the ad:

The Article 61 of the Law on Consumer Protection; the Articles 5 and 7 of the Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices, which respectively stipulate that "ads shall not have elements that disturb public order, that lead to, turn a blind eye to, incent or support illegal or contemptible behaviors with acts of violence" and "ads shall be prepared with a sense of economic and social responsibility and they shall be prepared in such a way that they will not lead to unfair competition."

Referring further to the content of the video, the General Directorate has also mentioned the ad broadcast on TELE1 on July 8, 2020 in following words: "...in the ads featuring the sentence 'The voice of millions tested in the face of price rises and wanting to lead a humane life', there are images where a girl holding a rag symbolizing the terrorist organization and it has elements that turn a blind eye to, incent and support these illegal behaviors..."

The fine will be taken to court

While the daily has been given a month to pay the fine, Evrensel's attorney Devrim Avcı has made a brief statement about the issue and announced that they, as the Evrensel, will file a lawsuit against this fine.

"There is an attempt to surround the Evrensel from all sides. We are faced with a process where even the ad of the newspaper is examined till its tiniest detail and fined over a part of this ad," Acı has said.

Referring to the Press Advertising Agency's (BİK) public ad cuts as well as suit for damages and access blocks faced by the daily, attorney Avcı has said, "This is an all-out attack on the existence of Evrensel newspaper. We will start all necessary legal proceedings against this decision."

RTÜK fined TELE1 in August

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed an administrative fine on TELE 1 TV for broadcasting the 25th anniversary video of Evrensel newspaper in late August 2020. The RTÜK announced that it fined the broadcaster for "praising, encouraging terrorism and depicting terrorist organizations as powerful or right."

The video of Evrensel is as follows:

(HA/SD)