SPAIN BANS JOURNALISTS OF KURDISH NEWS JOURNALISTS IN SEVILLE
CACC | 26.06.2002 21:57
Journalists at Medya TV and the Mesoptamia News Agency (MHA) were denied access to the Seville Summit in Spain without justification. The two news and broadcast agencies provide Kurdish educational and cultural access to 40 million Kurds who are displaced.
The action by the Spanish government threatening ‘freedom of expression’, a fundamental part of the Copenhagen Summit in 1993, has been condemned by the International Federation of Journalists, German Journalists’ Union (DJU) - one of the largest German Unions is a media branch of the United Services Union (Ver.di), famous playwright Harold Pinter, political scientist Noam Chomsky as well as Kurdish Journalists’ Union (YRK).
The Spanish government refused accreditation a short while before the beginning of the summit. Both Cemil Ucar of Ozgur Politika of MHA and Chris den Hond of Medya TV were refused accreditation to attend the summit despite applying several weeks earlier. Medya TV has now taken action to set up a support group to protect itself from further threats to its freedom of expression. Playwright Harold Pinter and political scientist Noam Chomsky have already signed up to the campaign.
Hond of Medya TV was shocked by the Spanish decision. He said: “Medya TV is important for Kurdish people. Both for their cultural development and keeping them in touch with their language.”
KNK president Ismet Sherif Vanly accused the Spanish government of interfering with the press in a letter addressed to Spanish foreign minister Josef Pique.
A letter was received from Maria J.Valdeperez, a representative of the Spanish Government Accreditation Office, saying: “in answer to your application for accreditation for the summit, I regret to inform you that we shall not be giving you accreditation.” No reasons were given for the decision and Spain refused appeals for the decision to be reversed.
It is believed that the move is connected with the PKK, the main Kurdish political party, which is banned in Britain, Germany and France and on 3 May was included in the terrorism list of the European Union. Turkey has siince been pressing very hard for the banning of Medya TV because of alleged links with the PKK.
In 1999 the PKK unilaterally ended its military struggle and withdrew armed forces from Turkeyto find a peaceful and political solution to the Kurdish question. On 4-10 April, the Congress party announced its dissolution and the foundation of a new organisations, the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) which aims to achieve the recognition of the cultural and political rights of the Kurds through democratic means. But Turkey has since rejected all peace offers by Kurds.
The Spanish government refused accreditation a short while before the beginning of the summit. Both Cemil Ucar of Ozgur Politika of MHA and Chris den Hond of Medya TV were refused accreditation to attend the summit despite applying several weeks earlier. Medya TV has now taken action to set up a support group to protect itself from further threats to its freedom of expression. Playwright Harold Pinter and political scientist Noam Chomsky have already signed up to the campaign.
Hond of Medya TV was shocked by the Spanish decision. He said: “Medya TV is important for Kurdish people. Both for their cultural development and keeping them in touch with their language.”
KNK president Ismet Sherif Vanly accused the Spanish government of interfering with the press in a letter addressed to Spanish foreign minister Josef Pique.
A letter was received from Maria J.Valdeperez, a representative of the Spanish Government Accreditation Office, saying: “in answer to your application for accreditation for the summit, I regret to inform you that we shall not be giving you accreditation.” No reasons were given for the decision and Spain refused appeals for the decision to be reversed.
It is believed that the move is connected with the PKK, the main Kurdish political party, which is banned in Britain, Germany and France and on 3 May was included in the terrorism list of the European Union. Turkey has siince been pressing very hard for the banning of Medya TV because of alleged links with the PKK.
In 1999 the PKK unilaterally ended its military struggle and withdrew armed forces from Turkeyto find a peaceful and political solution to the Kurdish question. On 4-10 April, the Congress party announced its dissolution and the foundation of a new organisations, the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) which aims to achieve the recognition of the cultural and political rights of the Kurds through democratic means. But Turkey has since rejected all peace offers by Kurds.
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