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Denmark: Kurdish TV station ‘backer’ given
ultimatum
3.6.2010 |
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June
3, 2010
COPENHAGEN, Denmark,— Civil Affairs Agency
takes action against a culture foundation’s alleged
illegal funding of a local Kurdish television
station
Mounting evidence that Copenhagen-based ROJ-TV has
received financing from a foundation with close ties
to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has led to the
Civil Affairs Agency giving the organisation a
two-week deadline to provide sufficient
documentation regarding its funding.
According to Berlingske Tidende newspaper, ROJ-TV
has been allowed to keep up to 118 million kroner of
illegal funding since 2004 – much of which has come
from the Kurdish Culture Foundation. |
Copenhagen-based Kurdish television station ROJ-TV |
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey
[Turkey-Kurdistan] which has claimed around 45,000
lives of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded an
end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The CAA has reportedly also asked the crown
prosecutor to consider whether there is enough
evidence to initiate a criminal investigation
against the foundation.
According to the CAA, the foundation has failed to
produce legally-required documentation proving that
certain sums received by ROJ-TV were intended for
distribution. In the agency’s instant ultimatum, two
payments in particular are referenced: a 209,676
kroner sum in 2007 and another for 101,349 kroner in
2008.
ROJ-TV has been in the media spotlight of late after
Berlingske Tidende published numerous photos of its
leadership liaising with PKK leaders at secret
military camps. Since leaving his job as head of the
station,www.ekurd.netManouchehr
Zonoozi has also admitted there are close ties
between ROJ-TV and the PKK.
The CAA has actually been investigating donations
from the culture foundation to the television
station since 1998. The agency twice threatened to
fine the station after investigations – once in 2004
and again in 2008 – but no sanctions were ever
imposed.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency, The Copenhagen Post, cphpos
dk | Agencies
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