(IPI/IFEX) – IPI recently expressed its concern with regard to the suspension for a period of twenty one days of the satellite television service licence of Med Broadcasting Ltd. (Med TV). IPI understands that the Independent Television Commission (ITC) has taken this action under powers given by Parliament in Section 89 of the 1996 Broadcasting […]
(IPI/IFEX) – IPI recently expressed its concern with regard to the
suspension for a period of twenty one days of the satellite television
service licence of Med Broadcasting Ltd. (Med TV).
IPI understands that the Independent Television Commission (ITC) has
taken
this action under powers given by Parliament in Section 89 of the 1996
Broadcasting Act, which oblige the Commission to serve a notice of
suspension if a licence holder has included in its service programmes
containing material “likely to encourage or incite to crime or to lead
to
disorder of a nature sufficient to justify revocation.”
IPI further understands that the ITC considers that several broadcasts
by
Med TV have clearly contained such material and that Med TV has been
informed that they are entitled to make representations within twenty
one
days, after which the Commission must decide whether or not to revoke
Med
TV’s licence. The Turkish government has welcomed the ITC’s decision and
called for a permanent halt to the broadcasts of Med TV, the only
satellite
station broadcasting in Kurdish.
According to IPI’s information, the National Security Council of Turkey
accuses Med TV of spreading “separatist propaganda” and has continuously
sought to prevent its broadcasts. In the past, Med TV’s news and panel
discussion programmes have been targeted by jamming signals emanating
from
Turkey, while in Kurdish regions of Turkey, satellite dishes and
antennae
have been prohibited and destroyed by soldiers and police units.
On these occasions – and as long as Med TV did not appear to condone
violence – IPI condemned the Turkish government’s actions against Med TV
as
an outright violation of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,” as
guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the chief executive of the ITC:
provide
the public with
a detailed report of how Med TV breached its licence and the ITC
Programme
Code’s requirements on due impartiality and incitement
which
comes at the start of the trial in Turkey of captured PKK (Kurdistan
Workers’ Party) leader Abdullah Öcalan and effectively deprives Kurds in
Turkey and the Kurdish diaspora of Kurdish-language news reporting on
the
trial
Appeals To
Mr. Peter Rogers
Chief Executive
Independent Television Commission (ITC)
33 Foley Street
London W1P 7LB
UK
Fax: + 44171 306 7800
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
