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KurdistanObserver.com
Police Wrap Up Kurdish Television Investigation
Nov 19, 2005
Denmark.dk
Danish police are under pressure
to conduct a hasty investigation of a Kurdish television station that Turkey
claims is financed by a terrorist organisation
The Copenhagen Police is wrapping up its investigation of a Kurdish television
station in Denmark, which Turkey accuses of being financed by the Kurdistan's
Workers' Party (PKK), a separatist movement labelled as a terrorist organisation
by the European Union.
'The material that police have collected so far is now subject to legal
evaluation, and no one has been charged in the case,' said police advocate
Michael Jørgensen from the Copenhagen Police.
In October, the police began an investigation of ROJ TV, a Kurdish television
station broadcasting news, entertainment, films, children's programs, and debate
shows to Kurds in Denmark from its studios in downtown Copenhagen.
ROJ TV says it has no connections with PKK.
Turkey has long criticised Denmark for not banning the station, and on Tuesday,
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan left his meeting with Danish PM Anders Fogh
Rasmussen in a fury, when he discovered that one of the station's reporters was
present at a press briefing after their meeting.
Erdogan made it clear upon his return to Turkey that he expected Denmark to
close down the station.
'As a medium, they support terrorism. It's an organ that promotes terrorism and
shelters terrorist activities in my country,' Erdogan said.
On Thursday, a spokesman from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told
reporters in Ankara that Turkey was keeping a close eye on the Danish police's
investigation of ROJ TV and expected a fast result.
Turkey has succeeded in having a number of Kurdish media closed down in Germany.
Rasmussen said he had no choice but to allow the Kurdish reporter to attend the
press briefing.
'Today, we have been confronted with a number of things, where I simply cannot
compromise,' Rasmussen said. 'These are fundamental principles about how a
democracy works.' |
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