Germany bans Kurdish TV despite decisions in Denmark that the station is acting lawfully
The Danish-based television broadcaster, Roj-TV, was recently banned in Germany after officials declared that they believe the station shows support for the conflict between the Turkish military and Kurdish rebels in Turkey. The German Interior Ministry said Roj-TV was serving as a mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or the PKK, which is outlawed in Turkey and Europe. Such German claims come despite investigations by the government in Denmark that Roj-TV is in compliant with all laws and that there is no proof to such connections with the Kurdish rebel movement nor does the station demonstrate any “incitement to hatred”.
On June 19, the German government issued a ban on Roj-TV and all affiliates including its production company in Germany, VIKO Fernseh Produktion GmbH. The Mesopotamia Broadcast A/S, a Danish-based private broadcasting company, was also banned from operating in Germany. German officials claimed that the station has been encouraging viewers to become guerrillas, a claim that the Turkish government has been actively pursuing for several years.
However, separate decisions made after investigations in Denmark have denied such claims. After multiple requests from the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTSC), the Denmark Media Secretariat – an institution of the Denmark Ministry of Culture – issued a document that concluded that none of the complaints justified closure of the Kurdish broadcast station. Denmark authorities concluded in the document that although the station often shows violent footage in it’s broadcasts as claimed, “they represent the violence that actually exists in Turkey and in Kurdish areas.” They concluded that although the broadcasts may have an “unpleasant effect on the Turkish authorities,” they are completely “unexaggerated” and there are no proofs that the station is causing “incitement” through their reporting.
The RTSC had submitted several clips from the television broadcastings to the Danish government as part of their official request for shutting down the station. Footage included various riots and demonstrations that have taken place in Turkey as well as clashes between citizens and police. However, the Board of the Denmark Media Secretariat dismissed the complaints explaining that there is no evidence that Roj-TV was the cause of any of the riots, and that solely passing on information through various news reports using sources and direct coverage “is not encompassed by the term incitement”.
Instead, the Board stated that shutting down the station “would inhibit a free press from notifying and informing about the conditions and events in society and in the world that it deems relevant to communicate.” The Board concluded that the contested clips showed no evidence of incitement to hatred, and in fact, even contained mentions of “democratic solutions” for the regions of the world it reports on.
Despite such decisions by the Danish government to allow Roj-TV to continue operating, the German Interior Ministry has moved to enforce the ban on the television broadcaster.
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One should consider that Denmark has some of the most liberal free speech laws in the world. So just because something is lawful in Denmark that doesn’t mean it is in Germany. That’s why for instance German Nazi propaganda radio stations have fled to Denmark.
(I think the Danish laws are better, but one has to accept the German laws, too).
One has to accept German laws?? No one should accept any law enforced by a country that involves censoring free speech.
The Danish government’s decision should be respected because their investigation of clips from the TV station that were hand-picked concluded that there is no incitement when a TV station simply broadcasts what’s actually happening in Turkey. (Just because Turkey wants to censor the truth doesnt mean Germany is right to help them do so.) Also, there is no no proof of any connection between the station and any group be in PKK or anything else so those statements by the German officials are just an outright lie being echoed from the Turkish regime.
*hand-picked by the Turkish government by the way
Roj TV = PKK.
Kurdistan TV = KDP
Kurdsat = PUK.
Please don’t let me laugh and I don’t have anything to do with the Turkish government.
You do need to be having anything to do with the Turkish government to be spreading their lies and propoganda. In Turkey, everything Kurdish is automatically considered PKK.
Last month, little children singing, this month, Kurdish TV. In Turkey, being Kurdish = terrorist. This how they silence Kurds.
Frankly these generalizations are absolutely baseless and they have been used beyond belief by the government to justify the systematic and brutal abuse against the Kurdish minority.
It goes without saying that most Kurds have nothing to do with the PKK. This is like saying that all Muslims are directly involved with Hezbollah, which is nothing but an outrageous generalization. Tons of peaceful Kurds (including children and the elderly) have been humiliated and abused by the Turkish authorities without any form of legitimate reasoning. It is purely racist and oppressive, and Turkish people should be aware of what is happening in their name.
Most Kurds do not resort to PKK tactics and are being imprisoned for their writing, singing, and for practicing their own cultural rights within Turkey. Associating their media with terrorism (without sufficient proof) is just a cover for an extreme form of censorship that shouldn’t be tolerated by anyone who values freedom and equality.
I am sad to see their media being banned in various other countries.
I’ve been in the Roj TV studio’s. I know what I am talking about. I don’t see the PKK as terrorists (I don’t even believe terrorists exists). Just as another political movement. And they have a lot of support in Turkey. At least 2/3 million people voted for a PKK related party. Roj TV is a PKK station. this is not a generalization, but a fact.
Just because there are Kurds that work for RojTV that are PKK sympathizers does not automatically make the station PKK connected. Theres difference when people individually support things and when an organization is linked to another organization.
I agree with Abdullah that so many people support PKK but what other option but selfdefense does one have when Turkish military attacking your people, you have secondclass rights and politics is not really an option because Turkey is not really a democracy?
And you also say 2/3 million voted for a “PKK related party”. That’s an outright lie. I will assume you are talking about the Kurdish DTP. They (and all the legal nonviolent pro-Kurdish parties that preceded them) are a perfect example of how democracy in Turkey doesnt exist. Everytime Kurds set up a legal party in Turkey, the Turish government says it must be PKK (like youre saying) and shut them down.
You can’t keep Kurds down and expect them to do nothing. PKK is a result of Turkish racism, not a cause.
What Simon says:-) Germany isn’t quite as liberal for historical reasons. Note that even though ROJ TV doesn’t go against Danish law, it might go against German
law.
As a Dane, I am happy that y’all agree that freedom of expression should not be limited, because someone may not like it. In this case a political debate. Remember – when throwing cheese at me – the same thing applies for a religious debate. Insults are bad, but censorship is worse (ducking).