Press Release 1300hrs 4th March 2010.
At 5am on 4th March 2010, Belgium police simultaneously raided all of the Kurdish institutions based in Brussels including the Roj TV studios and transmissions facilities, Kurdistan National Congress and the BDP’s European office.
Currently 30 people have been taken into custody including, it is reported, the chair person of the Kurdish People’s Congress, Remzi Kartal and KCK member, Zubedir Aydar. Kurdish workers at the Kurdish TV Sattellite station were taken away in handcuffs.
It is significant that the police first went directly to the uplink room and switched off the transmission signal for Roj TV and then smashed the equipment and computers linking the Roj TV signals to the transmitter. It is clear from these actions that the main aim of the police operation is to suppress the voice of Roj TV.
These actions are not new. This has happened just one week after the German authorities were forced to lift the ban on Roj TV being watched in Germany. These two incidents are obviously related to each other. What is clear from these incidents is that the suppression of Roj TV has been shared between European States.
This increased suppression by the European States of Roj TV, supports the state suppression by Iran and Turkey who have sabotaged and suppressed the Kurdish channel by broadcasting jamming signals to prevent and suppress the Kurdish Media.
What we conclude from these actions is that there is a coalition and partnership of hypocritical European States who call on Turkey for democratic change but aid Turkey and Iran in the suppression of the Kurdish free media and political expression.
The attack against Roj-TV is deeply hostile and illegal and a direct attack on the freedom of expression of the Kurdish people. The aim of the suppression of Roj TV is to silence the voice of the Kurdish Freedom Struggle by illegal and dirty means.
Roj TV has exposed and reported on the deficiencies and human rights abuses of undemocratic countries specifically the policies of the governing party in Turkey, the AKP. Roj TV has become an advocate of those fighting against injustice and human rights abuses in undemocratic countries.
Roj TV has also been central to the struggle to keep the culture and language of the Kurdish people alive. Roj TV is not a state television station but a station of the Kurdish people worldwide.
This attack against Roj TV is a major attack against freedom of expression. There is not a law that can ban the freedom and right to struggle for one’s language and culture. The legitimacy of one’s right to exist and to freely defend oneself from attack cannot be constrained within a legal framework.
Freedom of expression is a basic human right and any regime that violates this basic human right is anti democratic a camp now including much of Europe. We, the Kurds are not going to be silent in the face of this attack on and suppression of Roj TV.
We are aware that the attacks are not limited to a single studio based in Brussels. The main aim of these raids is to suppress the voice of the Kurds struggling for their basic political and human rights.
Protecting and defending Roj TV is not only the responsibility of Kurdish people but it is also the responsibility of our non Kurdish friends and of all people who believe in and support basic rights and freedoms.
We call on everybody to respond to these attacks and to protest to the relevant authorities and bodies.
UK’s Kurdish People’s Committee, Kurdish Federation, Fed-Bir, Kurdish Community Centre, Halkevi and Roj Woman Association.
Contact: Arzu Pesman 07861800823 or Savas Kurt 07584132960 or fedbir@gmail.com
Currently 30 people have been taken into custody including, it is reported, the chair person of the Kurdish People’s Congress, Remzi Kartal and KCK member, Zubedir Aydar. Kurdish workers at the Kurdish TV Sattellite station were taken away in handcuffs.
It is significant that the police first went directly to the uplink room and switched off the transmission signal for Roj TV and then smashed the equipment and computers linking the Roj TV signals to the transmitter. It is clear from these actions that the main aim of the police operation is to suppress the voice of Roj TV.
These actions are not new. This has happened just one week after the German authorities were forced to lift the ban on Roj TV being watched in Germany. These two incidents are obviously related to each other. What is clear from these incidents is that the suppression of Roj TV has been shared between European States.
This increased suppression by the European States of Roj TV, supports the state suppression by Iran and Turkey who have sabotaged and suppressed the Kurdish channel by broadcasting jamming signals to prevent and suppress the Kurdish Media.
What we conclude from these actions is that there is a coalition and partnership of hypocritical European States who call on Turkey for democratic change but aid Turkey and Iran in the suppression of the Kurdish free media and political expression.
The attack against Roj-TV is deeply hostile and illegal and a direct attack on the freedom of expression of the Kurdish people. The aim of the suppression of Roj TV is to silence the voice of the Kurdish Freedom Struggle by illegal and dirty means.
Roj TV has exposed and reported on the deficiencies and human rights abuses of undemocratic countries specifically the policies of the governing party in Turkey, the AKP. Roj TV has become an advocate of those fighting against injustice and human rights abuses in undemocratic countries.
Roj TV has also been central to the struggle to keep the culture and language of the Kurdish people alive. Roj TV is not a state television station but a station of the Kurdish people worldwide.
This attack against Roj TV is a major attack against freedom of expression. There is not a law that can ban the freedom and right to struggle for one’s language and culture. The legitimacy of one’s right to exist and to freely defend oneself from attack cannot be constrained within a legal framework.
Freedom of expression is a basic human right and any regime that violates this basic human right is anti democratic a camp now including much of Europe. We, the Kurds are not going to be silent in the face of this attack on and suppression of Roj TV.
We are aware that the attacks are not limited to a single studio based in Brussels. The main aim of these raids is to suppress the voice of the Kurds struggling for their basic political and human rights.
Protecting and defending Roj TV is not only the responsibility of Kurdish people but it is also the responsibility of our non Kurdish friends and of all people who believe in and support basic rights and freedoms.
We call on everybody to respond to these attacks and to protest to the relevant authorities and bodies.
UK’s Kurdish People’s Committee, Kurdish Federation, Fed-Bir, Kurdish Community Centre, Halkevi and Roj Woman Association.
Contact: Arzu Pesman 07861800823 or Savas Kurt 07584132960 or fedbir@gmail.com
