Kurdish satellite TV's second anniversary

May 28, 1997
Issue 

By Phil Hearse

BRUSSELS — Two hundred European parliamentarians, journalists, academics and human rights activists gathered here May 17 at the studios of Med-TV, the Kurdish satellite TV station, to celebrate its second anniversary.

Med-TV beams eight hours of programming daily to Kurds living within the state borders of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Also available in Europe on cable TV, the station carries everything from children's cartoons to drama and political debates.

In a message of support John Pilger said: "I think Med-TV is a wonderful idea. Where battles are being won and lost now through information, it's a critical weapon for people struggling for their freedom like the Kurds ... it's about a people's voice being heard and there are great forces trying to stop the Kurds from being heard."

Throughout its two years of broadcasting, Med-TV has faced a campaign of harassment from the Turkish government, which claims it is the propaganda arm of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the organisation waging an armed struggle for Kurdish self-determination. This is denied by the station, which points to the wide spectrum of Kurdish political opinion which has been expressed on air.

By coincidence, the celebration of Med-TV's birthday came just three days after a spectacular demonstration of the repression of Kurdish identity — another Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. On May 14, tens of thousands of Turkish troops invaded as part of the ongoing campaign to crush the Kurdish PKK resistance.

Despite a virtual media blackout, eyewitness reports said Turkish troops had gone deep into the former UN-designated "safe haven" including the major Kurdish town of Irbil and were carrying out dozens of executions of suspects.

Med-TV is a unique experiment. Nowhere else has a people struggling for its liberation managed to find such an effective means to express their national and cultural rights. Med-TV is vital for the Kurds. Kurdistan is not only occupied (split between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria), but any form of Kurdish expression, for example, the use of the Kurdish language, is prohibited and repressed, especially in south-east Turkey.

Med-TV has broken through that cultural repression because it is broadcast by satellite. Kurds gather in groups to watch the only existing broadcasting to use the major Kurdish dialects.

The Turkish state — for the moment at least — is powerless to stop Med-TV broadcasts. However, Turkish security forces have been trying to track down and smash TV satellite dishes in Kurdish areas. Med-TV's supporters expect this tactic to become progressively less successful as new, small, easily hidden "fold-up" dishes are introduced.

Med-TV, whose main studios are in Brussels but which is headquartered in London, is broadcast from the commercial Eutelsat television satellite. This is made possible by the granting of an official license to the channel by Britain's Independent Television Commission (ITC), which has repeatedly stated that Med-TV meets all the criteria of quality and content needed for official approval.

Attempts by the Turkish ambassador in Britain to claim Med-TV is a political front have been rebuffed by the ITC. In 1995, British prime minister John Major was forced to tell former Turkish premier (now foreign minister) Tansu Ciller that the British government could not interfere in the decisions of the ITC.

Med-TV is the first satellite TV station whose broadcasts have been jammed. In December 1995, a program in which PKK chairman Abdullah Ocalan was being interviewed was hit by up-link interference. The source was unknown (but might be guessed).

The station also was the target of coordinated "anti-terrorist" police raids in London and Brussels last year, evidently at the behest of the Turkish government. No one was charged with any crime or anything illegal found.

A young Kurdish woman working at the studios told me: "I was brought up in Melbourne, where my parents and family still live as part of the 10,000-strong community in Australia. I have never seen Kurdistan, but I feel I know it better now through Med-TV. Our station is a key way for the people of Kurdistan to talk to one another — not just the ethnic Kurds, but also the minority national groupings like the Alevis, Christians and Assyrians, who have their own spaces on the station. Asserting our diverse cultural identities is a key part of building a nation. Now we have got onto some European cable networks, let's hope we succeed in extending our coverage so all Kurdish people worldwide, including in Australia, get a chance to see it regularly."

You need Green Left, and we need you!

Green Left is funded by contributions from readers and supporters. Help us reach our funding target.

Make a One-off Donation or choose from one of our Monthly Donation options.

Become a supporter to get the digital edition for $5 per month or the print edition for $10 per month. One-time payment options are available.

You can also call 1800 634 206 to make a donation or to become a supporter. Thank you.