ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Turkish police shut down pro-Kurdish television channel IMC TV live on air on Tuesday.
IMC TV was one of more than 20 television and radio stations ordered closed last week, charged with broadcasting “terror propaganda” for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The order forcing their closure is a “massive breach of freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” said IMC TV’s management, rejecting the accusation that they broadcast terror propaganda.
Video footage showed the moment the police interrupted the live broadcast. “As you see on air at this moment, police forces are seizing our camera. The police forces are trying to stop our live broadcasting,” said Gulfem Karatash, an IMC reporter speaking on the phone.
He noted that they were in the station of Ozgur Gundem newspaper when police forces seized their press IDs and cameras.
IMC TV was one of more than 20 television and radio stations ordered closed last week, charged with broadcasting “terror propaganda” for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The order forcing their closure is a “massive breach of freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” said IMC TV’s management, rejecting the accusation that they broadcast terror propaganda.
Video footage showed the moment the police interrupted the live broadcast. “As you see on air at this moment, police forces are seizing our camera. The police forces are trying to stop our live broadcasting,” said Gulfem Karatash, an IMC reporter speaking on the phone.
He noted that they were in the station of Ozgur Gundem newspaper when police forces seized their press IDs and cameras.
In another video, a woman can be heard saying, “They should learn that we will never stop. We can’t be stopped. We will continue with our job. We will meet our audiences somehow, they will watch us. We are sure about that. The truth will never be silenced.”
Eyub Burch, general coordinator of the channel, said “We established the TV with our sweat. We had one aim in our broadcasting – let the people to learn the truth.”
The station had been taken off the airwaves by Türksat, Turkey’s communications satellite operator, last week, but had continued to broadcast through the Hotbird satellite and on the internet.
Under the state of emergency imposed after the attempted coup of July 15 and extended yesterday for an additional three months, Ankara can close any media outlet for reasons of national security.
Advocating for the extension of the emergency measures, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on September 29 that terror in the country is “deep” and the fight against it cannot be solved in just three months.
The leader of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, opposed the extension, citing concern of “reckless measures” taken under the broadened powers.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the cancellation of the broadcasts, and accused the Prime Ministry of acting unlawfully.
“These TV channels were targeted, for they did not whistle-blow, obey, kneel or yield to the government,” reads a September 29th statement from Saruhan Oluç, HDP’s vice co-chair responsible for the press. “The crackdown on independent and opposition media is a clear sign that the oppression and intimidation policies against all social segments will accelerate.”
Speaking at a HDP parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, co-chair of the party Selahattin Demirtaş described the government of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) “stupid,” and bemoaned the fact that there was no TV station left in Turkey that would broadcast his comments.
“No offence, but this government is the most stupid government in the world,” he said. “The AKP’s weakest spot is always being fooled.”
He accused the CHP opposition party of failing to stand up to the AKP and said, “There is nobody other than us resisting, no hope other than us. They are all as timid as mice in front of the Presidential Palace.”
IMC TV, established in 2011, broadcast in Turkish language with a focus on leftist, pro-women, and pro-Kurdish issues.
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