The Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurds (RKR) asks Norwegian mayors to sign an appeal to support 56 Kurdish mayors in Turkey. They are all charged to up till 10 years’ imprisonment for having written a letter to Denmark’s Prime-Minister Fogh Rasmussen asking him not to close down the Kurdish satellite channel Roj-TV which today broadcasts from Denmark in the Kurdish language. The Turkish Prosecutor- General considers this to be an expression of supporting the PKK-movement, which is forbidden in Turkey.  (29-JUN-06)

Written by RKR / Liv Kjølseth. Translation HRH / Ralph Pluimert

Roj-TV is extremely popular among Kurds in Turkey, since broadcasting in other languages than Turkish is still very restricted within the Turkish territory. The public broadcaster TRT allows only 45 minutes of programs in Kurdish-Kurmanji per week and local TV-stations aren’t allowed to send in Kurdish either. Many regard the channel as the only voice of the Kurdish civil society in Turkey.

European Convention
RKR takes the view that Turkey should make broadcasting in Kurdish possible now and refers to article 10 on Freedom of Expression and Article 14 which amongst other things prohibits discrimination based on language in the European Convention on Human Rights. RKR asks Norwegian mayors to sign a declaration of solidarity to the 56 mayors who are now prosecuted and asks for support for the demand that Turkey must fulfil the obligations that come with signing the European Convention on Human Rights.

PKK
In Denmark Roj-TV is under investigation for having links with the Kurdish PKK-movement, which is prohibited in Turkey. On 12 January 2005 the Danish Radio- and Television Commission accused Roj-TV. According to the Turkish embassy in Denmark, Roj-TV breaks the Danish penal code by being linked to organisations that are on the EU’s list of terrorist organisations and that Roj-TV’s programmes are violating the requirements for obtaining a TV-licence by sending programmes that encourage hate in the light of race, sex, religion, nationality and sexual identity.

Newspaper
The Danish Radio and Television Commission decided on 25 April 2005 to report the case to the police when they considered it beyond their capacity to judge the charges and the relationship with EU’s list of terrorist organisations. The Danish police are now investigating the charges. On 5 September 2005 the Kurdish newspaper the German Ministery of Internal Affairs closed Ozgur Politika, but the decision was considered illegal by the German federal court on 20 October 2005 and is now dealt with by a higher court. Turkish authorities have pressured both Germany and Denmark to close down the Kurdish newspaper and TV-station.