ROJ Tv, emittente satellitare con sede legale in Danimarca, attiva dal 2004 e che trasmette in kurdo, turco, arabo, farsi ed inglese è accusata di propaganda a favore di organizzazioni illegali in Germania e perciò “oscurata” in questo paese per ordine del Federal German Home Secretary. Riceviamo e pubblichiamo una lettera del direttore Imdat Yilmaz di replica alle accuse.

Mr President,

Dear colleagues,

Our television station ROJ TV, which has been broadcasting since March 2004 with a Danish License, has been banned from all activity within German borders by the Federal German Home Secretary on the 19th of June, 2008. This ban has not only been limited to ROJ TV but has also stretched to other media organisations which we work with including Denmark based Mesopotamia Broadcasting Company and Germany based VIKO Fersehprodoktion GmbH.

ROJ TV, alongside all of the Kurdish dialects, broadcasts in Assyrian, Arabic, Turkish, Farsi and English. Our TV station ROJ TV, which is a source for News, culture, art and music for many Kurds not only in Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey, but many other countries where Kurds have been forced to move, has been banned for “harming the fraternity between people’s”, “making propaganda for an organisation banned within the borders of Gernmany” and “to protect the utmost intersts of Germany”.

This ban has no legal basis. This action has been completely pushed through by the Turkish state and is also a damaging blow to the freedom of thought and information. At the same time this action is an attempt at completely neglecting the will, the language, the culture and art and the political identity of the 40 million Kurds living in the areas of mesopotamia and anatolia. We also wish to exclaim that this decision not only hinders the Kurds from receiving information and expressing their thoughts and emotions, it is also a decision that negletcs freedom of press and basic human rights.

Mr President,

Dear colleagues,

While the Turkish state is doing everything within in its power to pressurise the Kurdish press working within its borders, it is also trying its hardest to do the same, outside the borders. The Turkish state is applying harsh policy to break the Kurds, break their will, to politically pasify the Kurds and to suffocate its Media. The international public is well aware of the Turkish states record on Freedom of thought.

This situation has been brought to light and criticised by numerous EU’s reports as well as in reports of other highly respected organisations such as Amnesty International.

The Turkish State has, for a long time, been putting extensive pressure on the Danish Government to stop our TV station from broadcasting. The allegations brought forward by the Turkish state against our TV station were investigated under instructions from the Danish Government by the Danish Media Secretary. These allegations where deemed unfounded and our TV station was judged to be broadasting in accordance with international broadcasting principles. There exists a report from the Danish Media Secretary which clearly states that our TV station has nothing in its broadcasts, not in accordance with international broadcasting principles and does not broadcast programs inciting violence, or of a violent nature.

The pressure which is being made upon our TV station is so widespread that 56 mayors across Turkey were legally punished for writing a letter to the Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, regarding the importance of ROJ TV. To intensify the pressure on the Danish Government, the Turkish state has also urged its allies, the USA and Germany to pressurise the Danish Government. Although the Danish Government did not undermine its principles on the Freedom of Press and give way to this intense pressure, the same cannot be said of Germany who have replied to Turkish pressure with this unbelievable ban.

All these facts show us that, rather than being a legally based decision, it is a decision based upon American interests and the economic and political relationship USA has with Turkey. The Turkish State has used diplomatic efforts and spent a great deal on trying to close down ROJ TV, this is a known truth. Therefore, due to all of the stated reasons, the decision taken by Germany to ban ROJ TV, on grounds of economic-political interest, is a decision that enforces the Turkish state’s policy on assimilating and annihilating the Kurdish nation.

Mr President,

Dear colleagues,

Germany’s decision to ban ROJ TV has clearly abused the rights of the Kurds to the Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Information and to Right to preserve their culture. Our TV station is being criminalised by allegations undeserved. This decision has pleased the Turkish state, who have already been applying pressure and abuse to the Kurdish media.

This decision is not only unjust but also very dangerous, because this decision is an abuse of basic Human Rights. After the September 11th attacks basic Human Rights are being abused, if not totally neglected. The Freedom of the Press is seen as a threat, and there is an attempt to completely control and neutralize it. Due to this, the decision to ban ROJ TV, a TV station which is multilingual, multicultural, respectful of universal values and a station that has fully adopted the International Broadcasting Principles as a guide, is completely unacceptable.

We call upon our colleagues and media organizations alike, to stand against this decision and to make an active effort to convince the German authorities to remove this unjust ban. A Ban which is a clear infringement on the Freedom of the Press.

We are hopeful that you will be in solidarity with the Kurdish media.

Kindest regards and wishes for your success.

Imdat Yilmaz

www.roj.tv