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Germany can ban Kurdish ROJ TV events, but
not broadcasts: EU court
23.9.2011 |
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September
23, 2011
BRUSSELS, — Germany cannot prevent people
from watching a Kurdish satellite TV channel accused
of abetting violence, but can ban events in its
support on its territory, European Union judges
ruled on Thursday.
The Turkish government has long seen the
Danish-based Roj TV as a mouthpiece for the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered as 'terrorist' organization by
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.
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In 2008, authorities
banned the TV from conducting any activities in
Germany - including organizing public broadcasts of
Roj TV programmes or producing them on German
territory.
The General Court of the EU said German authorities
said that 'in principle' such measures are legal, as
long as they do not affect Roj TV's overall capacity
to broadcast programmes from Denmark.
The Luxembourg-based court reiterated that Denmark
is the only country that has the power to shut down
the broadcaster. Authorities there have declined
Turkish pressure to do so.
EU judges had been asked to deliver an opinion by
the German Federal Administrative Court, which is
considering an appeal against the ban on Roj TV's
activities in Germany.
Denmark's failure to close the broadcaster was said
to be a factor in Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan resisting the appointment in 2009 of
his then Danish counterpart,www.ekurd.netAnders
Fogh Rasmussen, to the position of NATO Secretary
General.
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been
fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the
constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a
Kurdish state in the south east of the country, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000
lives.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous
Kurdish region
and more cultural rights for ethnic Kurds who
constitute the greatest minority in Turkey,
numbering more than 20 million. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees,
lifting the ban on education in Kurdish, paving the
way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within
Turkey, reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader
Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action against
the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish
constitution.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
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author or news agency,
DPA | ekurd.net | Agencies
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