MED-TV Has Been Banned

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.cic.net>

MED-TV Has Been Banned

American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
Press Release #10
July 5, 1996

     The Kurdish television station MED-TV was due to start
sending out its signal via the Eutel satellite of the Polish
state television company PTT as of July 2. But due to pressure
from the Turkish government, Polish authorities have canceled the
deal. For the past three months, MED-TV was broadcast with the
help of the government of Portugal, but this country also revoked
the station s license. Portugal, following after Spain, France,
and Germany, also bowed to pressure from Turkey.
     MED-TV began multi-lingual satellite broadcasts on May 15,
1995, fulfilling a need for 35 million Kurds. Internationally,
this step was welcomed as an attempt to give a voice to the world
s largest stateless people. (Kurdish-language broadcasting is
still illegal in Turkey and some other countries.) MED-TV
broadcast for 6 hours each day, providing programming in Kurdish,
Turkish, Assyrian, and Arabic. The signal could be received in
all of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, a huge
potential viewership in 34 countries.
     From the very beginning, the Turkish government exerted
great political pressure, coupled with economic threats, on the
governments of Europe, urging them to deny broadcast access to
MED-TV. But they had no luck for the past 16 months. The Kurds
enjoyed their very own television station! MED-TV is a legal
company, privately owned, organized by an association of
international Kurdish business people, licensed and regulated by
the Independent Television Commission (ITC) in London. The
station alway s fulfilled all of its legal and contract
requirements, and it also abided by European laws concerning
international broadcasting. But now, economic and political
pressure from the Turkish government are threatening the
integrity of internationally-recogn ized standards of free
speech. MED-TV's future is now dependent on whether countries
choose to adhere to international broadcast conventions or bow to
pressure from Turkey.
     MED-TV has vowed to carry on. A variety of options are being
examined in order to keep fulfilling the legitimate desire of the
Kurdish people to have an uncensored voice of their own, one
which is respected by the governments of the world.

Visit MED-TV's homepage for more information:
http://www.ib.be/med/

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----------

Press Release From The ITC International Press Center In Brussels

July 3, 1996

     MED-TV is the first-ever international Kurdish-language
satellite television channel, serving the world's largest nation
without a recognized homeland. The station broadcasted out of
London to a potential audience of some 35 million Kurds scattered
throughout Europe, the Russian Federation, North Africa and the
Middle East. The emergence of MED-TV has inspired enormous media
interest and high-level diplomatic debate: hailed as an historic
achievement and a defeat for political censorship, it has from
the very beginning faced intense political and extrajudicial
pressure at the hands of an enraged Turkish state for whom
expressions of the Kurdish identity and broadcasts in the Kurdish
language are illegal and fiercely surpressed.
     MED-TV, a Kurdish language satellite television station
privately owned and funded by the international Kurdish business
community, was licensed by the Independent Television Commission
and began regular broadcasts out of London on May 15, 1995.
Broadcasting from its production studios in Brussel, Germany and
Sweden, MED-TV reaches a potential audience of some 35 million
Kurds scattered throughout Europe, North Africa, the Russian
Federation and the Middle East in three Kurdish dialects -
Sorani, Kurmanci and Zazaki - as well as in Turkish, Arabic and
Assyrian. The Turkish government has used every tactic in the
book to block transmission and reception of MED-TV.
     Its first step was a disinformation campaign launched in the
Turkish press before MED-TV began test transmissions in March
1995. The station was dubbed "PKK-TV", implying it was an arm of
the Kurdistan Workers Party. The label stuck and was repeated in
the Western press, including Screen Digest and The Independent
newspaper both of which later ran apologies and retractions. We
faced the same situation in Germany with newsmagazine Focus.
     This was followed by a campaign to intimidate those who
watched the station. The Turkish press gave full coverage to the
destruction of satellite dishes and the detention of suspected
viewers. The pro-Kurdish daily Yeni Politika remarked that
whereas its stories of human rights abuses by the state were
routinely censored, officials had allowed publication of the
confiscation of dishes and the harassment of viewers to warn off
Kurds with the temerity to tune into MED-TV. In spite of this,
sales of satellite dishes soared.
     While applying pressure to viewers at home, the Turkish
government has pursued a vigorous campaign in European capitals
to have MED-TV's licence revoked. President Suleyman Demirel
criticised the British government for permitting the station to
operate, alleging "the PKK guides these broadcasts".
     By August, the ITC had received three requests from the
Turkish government and, according to New Media Markets, even the
British Foreign Office wrote to the ITC complaining of MED-TV's
support for the Kurdish guerrilla movement. The Commission
refused on the grounds that it had "no reason to believe it has
broken any UK broadcasting regulations".
     During her November 1995 visit to Britain, Prime Minister
Tansu Ciller presented John Major with a dossier to support her
request that MED-TV be banned - a request which ran against the
grain of her press statement stressing "the passionate commitment
of Turkey's people to democracy, personal freedom and individual
liberties" and their desire for "free speech". In December,
Ciller requested that Germany prevent cable broadcasts of MED-TV.
Reporting on Ciller's efforts, the Financial Times wrote in
January 1996: "Happily this pressure has so far been unsuccessful
but several West European banks, legal firms and other companies
have refused to work with MED-TV, apparently in fear of
alienating the Turkish authorities."
     The latest target of Turkish pressures is the satellite
itself. On December 14, 1995 in a pioneering attempt to censor
transnational broadcasting, MED-TV's transmission was disrupted
by a pirate signal during a live debate in its Brussels studios.
Engineers estimated the cost of the operation at U.S. $375,000
and assumed that the rogue transmitter was used in Western
Europe. And in January 1996, unconfirmed reports in Hurriyet
(13/1/96) alleged that the French government pressures and would
request that MED-TV's Eutelsat satellite contract not be renewed.
     The Turkish government dismantled an agreement with French
Telecom for U.S. $4.5 billion for the reason that French Telecom
was used as a third partner by MED-TV. Even now, despite free
capacity on a transponder which belongs to France, France is not
ready to lease this transponder to MED-TV.
     MED-TV's future depends as much on intergovernmental
relations as it does on MED-TV's continued adherence to the
broadcasting codes of the ITC and the European Convention on
Trans-Frontier Television. Turkey's attempts to export media
repression to Europe threatens not just MED-TV but international
media independence and the freedom of expression itself. It is
not possible to extinguish the voice of a people. Our struggle
for democracy and the right to free expression will continue.

-----

Second Press Release From The ITC International Press Center In
Brussels

July 3, 1996

     MED-TV signed a new contract commencing July 2, 1996 with a
Polish broadcaster for continued transmission of its programs. In
a shock development yesterday the contract was vetoed by the
Polish government responding to Turkish government pressure to
prohibit the Polish PTT from transmission of MED-TV's satellite
feed. For the past 3 months, MED-TV has been broadcasting with
the co-operation of the Portuguese government which has now also
bowed to pressure from Turkey to terminate its broadcasting
concessions. Portugal follows Spain, France and Germany in its
recent capitulation.
     MED-TV first commenced regular transmission of its
multi-lingual programs on May 15, 1995, answering the needs of a
Kurdish population of 35 million people. Praised internationally
as a major achievement by a stateless people denied its own voice
(broadcasting in the Kurdish language is still prohibited by
Turkey, among other countries). MED-TV transmitted 6 hours of
programs in Kurdish, Turkish, Assyrian and Arabic across Europe,
north Africa and the Middle East to a viewership of 34 countries,
and 50 million potential customers.
     From the outset, the Turkish government has applied intense
political pressure, backed by economic ploys, upon European
governments to refuse MED-TV access to their transmission
facilities. Even so, for the past 16 months Turkey has been
denied success: Kurdish viewers have had their own Kurdish
channel.
     MED-TV is a legal company, privately owned and funded by the
international Kurdish business community, licensed and monitored
by the ITC (Independent Television Commission) in London. It has
fulfilled all its legal and contractual obligations, remaining
within the framework of its brief and adhering to the European
Convention on Trans-frontier television.
     Political pressure by the Turkish government now threatens
internationally accepted laws governing freedom of expression.
MED-TV's future remains at the merey of expedient
inter-governmental relations.
     Despite the threat, legal negotiations are continuing. A
number of alternative options remain for MED-TV to continue to
address the needs of the Kurdish people for a legitimate,
uncensored voice of their own, respected by the world's
governments.

MED-TV
Brussels
July 3, 1996

-----

Background Of MED-TV

     MED-TV evolved in response to calls over recent years,
particularly from the Europe-wide Kurdish diaspora, for a
televison station of its own. Feasiblity work began in May 1994.
By the autumn, MED Broadcasting Ltd. had been established,
licensed in Britain by the Independent Television Commission, and
early production work had begun.
     MED-TV started test-transmission on March 30, 1995,
broadcasting from London three hours daily. Test tapes included
music programmes, animations and films. Within its first one and
a half months MED-TV had also broadcast live studio debates from
its studio in Brussels.
     On May 15, 1995, MED-TV commenced normal broadcasts during
peak viewing hours daily between 17.00-19.00. GMT. (19.00-22.00.
Kurdistan local time) with the aim in the very near future of
extending to provide a 24-hour service.

MED-TV: A Target Of Historic Satellite Sabotage

(A press release from December 18, 1995)

     On December 14, 1995, a live satellite program transmission
of MED-TV was sabotaged by a second uplink, intercepting routine
and licenced transmission from London. It is possible that this
is the first time in satellite communication history this has
been done.
     According to official sources, the second carrier
responsible for the jamming was spotted after MED-TV's own
transmission carrier was intentionally dropped to identify the
origin of the pirate interception. Secam color bars, implying
deliberate jamming, were momentarily seen but an identification
of origin could not be made. MED-TV's satellite service providers
suspect sabotage while official sources say the cost of such
jamming would be roughly a quarter of a million pounds, involving
the use of high caliber technology. MED-TV's engineers believe
that, given its nature, the intercepting signal has been
transmitted from a European country.
     The jamming took place during a scheduled live debate
program in which Chairman of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK),
Abdullah Ocalan, was expected to declare a cease-fire to allow
Turkey to conduct its December 24, 1995, early general elections
without hindrance. The interception notably started after Ocalan
began to reveal that Turkey had aimed to negotiate indirectly
with his organization during a previous cease-fire in 1993, and
that the late Turkish President Turgut Ozal had taken concrete
steps to solve Turkey's Kurdish problem.
     The first of its kind, this illegal interception comes
exactly two weeks after Turkey's Prime Minister, Tansu Ciller,
visited London and asked her British counterpart John Major to
take effective measures against MED-TV. Turkish newspapers quoted
Major saying during the meeting that although the British
government could not intervene in ITC affairs, "it will do
everything within its hands" to fulfill Ankara's request.
     Turkey, which still bans Kurdish broadcast in its own
territories, has repeatedly appealed to the British and Belgian
governments to close down MED-TV - the only Kurdish satellite
channel in the world. Official petitions to this effect, calling
for a closure under the European Convention of Transfrontier
Television, have been made by Ankara to the ITC as well. Separate
Turkish initiatives have been made in other European countries to
ban MED-TV from cable output and since it started broadcast in
March 1995, MED-TV and its employees have repeatedly received
threats from unidentified circles.
     The recent case of interception further implies that
Turkey's political censorship, condemned world-wide and heavily
criticized by European countries, is now extending beyond
national boundaries at dangerous levels and in violation of
European and international laws. MED-TV condemns such acts and
attempts of censorship and appeals to the international community
and media to support it's right to broadcast to over 30 million
Kurds in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East without
interruption and continuing to abide with the regulations set
forth by its licencee, the British ITC.

Other Sabotage

Turkey: Telephone Interference On Live Show

     During a live studio debate in early December, the calls of
two important guest speakers telephoning in from Turkey were
inexplicably drowned out for 10-20 minutes by Hizbullah military
march music and electronic interference. Sema Kulu and Mehmet
Sexo are both HADEP parliamentary candidates and both were
phoning from their private homes in Diyarbakir.
     The rules regarding election candidate access to the media
have surely been breached here? Over the top of the music one of
them commented about the interference. Apparently no other
telephone lines from Turkey or elsewhere were effected. This form
of local telephone interference it said to happen quite routinely
in Turkey, but it is interesting that this time it was witnessed
so publicly on international TV.

Pressure Against MED-TV

     This is partly as the result of digesting and responding to
the latest round of Turkish diplomatic pressure against the
channel. This has had at least one tangible effect in the way the
British Foreign & Commonwealth Office has taken a step back from
us: careful not to be seen in any way to be actively supporting
MED-TV. Most noticable is the FCO's recent withdrawal of its
British Satellite News service from MED-TV. This free 10-minute
daily news feed is still available to us (as it is to everyone
else) should we wish to record their daily satellite broadcasts.
However, orders from above have recently stopped MED-TV being
supplied any longer with the free weekly compilation cassette of
the previous week's transmissions and the essential accompanying
commentary scripts.
     Without scripts the film images (broadcast with sound
effects only) are almost unusable/incomprehensible. It is ironic
that MED-TV is now effectively denied the right to a service
which promotes Britain, British culture and British interests. It
would be interesting to enquire if any other channels are
debarred. Should you wish to pursue this, you can contact the
Production Manager Steve Turner on 44-171-410-5240.
     As you know, Tansu Ciller visited London for meetings with
the PM and Labour Leader Tony Blair on 22/11/95. According to
Hurriyet (23/11/95) at her meeting in Downing Street, Ciller is
said to have given Major a dossier containing remarks made by
Abdullah Ocalan, and pressuring for measures to be taken to close
down MED-TV. Since MED is working within strict ITC Codes, this
seems rather contrary to her statement stressing "the passionate
commitment of Turkey's people to democracy, personal freedom and
individual liberties" and their desire for "free speech". Major
apparently said the government could not intervene with the
independent work of the ITC, but pledged support. Turkey also
plans to attack Belgium and Britain through the European
Convention on Trans-Frontier TV.
     And since MED-TV began delivery on cable networks in several
European countries on her December visit to Germany Ciller asked
that MED-TV be prevented from going out on cable in Germany
(Hurriyet 6/12/95). It seems unlikely we will ever see copies of
any of the official documents mentioned - the apparent evidence
against us! - even when a request for them were made formally by
supportive MPs, NGOs or our lawyers.

(Source: MED-TV WWW Page)


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