|
Kurdish
broadcasts in Turkey subject to a thousand and one restrictions
Ozgur
Politika
Oct
17, 2002
The
draft Directive Regarding Broadcast Languages on which the Turkish
Supreme Board for Radio and Television (RTUK) has been working calls for
prison sentences of from 3.5 to 14 years and monetary fines of up to 120
billion Turkish liras for the owners and managers of broadcasting facilities
that broadcast without permission in languages other than Turkish.
The draft, which states that instruction in Kurdish may not be included in any
form, does not require that permission be obtained for the broadcast of songs
in Kurdish.
According to the draft, being put into its final form by the RTUK, which is
considering alternatives on certain articles in line with the views of the
General Secretariat for the EU, broadcasts in languages and dialects
traditionally used by the people in their daily lives will be possible, but
no instruction in these will be permitted.
In this context, broadcast institutions will be able to apply to the RTUK to
broadcast in only one such language or dialect. The RTUK has not yet decided
as to whether these broadcasts will be local, regional, or nationwide. In
addition, according to the draft, television stations will be able to
broadcast in languages like Kurdish for no more than two hours per week, while
radio stations will be able to broadcast a total of six hours on two days
within a week, with one of these days being on a weekend. While Kurdish is
being broadcast on television, an exact translation, identical in both
content and time duration, must be displayed in Turkish subtitles, while
radio stations will broadcast a Turkish translation immediately following the
Kurdish program.
The RTUK will seek information and documentation from the relevant official
bodies regarding those who apply to broadcast, and will grant permission to
those whom it deems suitable. Applications must be accompanied by a notarized
document promising that the applicant will adhere to all provisions of the
law. The draft directive also contains heavy penalties in the event of its
conditions being violated.
If broadcasting organizations which receive permission from the RTUK to
broadcast in a language other than Turkish violate the conditions of the
directive, an ascending scale of ever more onerous penalties will be applied.
According to these, organizations that violate their responsibilities will be
punishedin accord with article 33 of the RTUK Law.
According to this article, various warnings and monetary fines will be applied
regarding those who contravene the broadcast principles, as is the case with
Turkish broadcasts as well, and both temporary and permanent suspension of
their broadcasts will be applied as well. In addition, the broadcast equipment
of such organizations will be seized by the state.
TRT didnt want Kurdish
Meanwhile, while the RTUK has been continuing its preparations on a directive
for Kurdish broadcasts, it has also speeded up work regarding whether or not
such broadcasts will be nationwide or regional, and whether they will be
carried out by TRT [official Turkish Radio and Television].
A meeting was held on this topic the day before yesterday. Officials from the
RTUK stated that broadcasts in the native language could be made on one of the
regional or nationwide television stations, but TRT officials, giving a
negative report regarding broadcasts in the native language, said that We
cannot do |
|
