COPENHAGEN, Denmark, — Following a sustained pressure from Turkey to block the Kurdish satellite station ROJ-TV the Copenhagen City Court charged the Kurdish channel with making propaganda for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Today the City Court of Copenhagen didn’t revoke the licence of ROJ- TV on the ground that there was no legal rationale for the revocation of the TV’s licence.
The Court however chastised ROJ-TV and Mesopotamia Broadcasting by a fiscal penalty of 65 thousand DKR (EUR 8700) on the grounds of violating the “anti-terror law” of Denmark.
The trial against ROJ-TV opened on 15 August in Denmark. The satellite channel was accused of propaganda for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). ROJ-TV does not have any studios in Denmark, but it was granted broadcasting license by the Danish authorities.
In a written statement ROJ-TV Executive Board welcomed the decision remarking, “We welcome the court decision with respect however we don’t believe we commit any crime.”
The Executive Board observed; “Roj TV has been exposed to the pressure and oppression policies of the Turkish State since its establishment. Making attempts in both diplomatic and legal areas for the closure of our channel, the Turkish state which has a black register in respect to the freedom of expression and press has attempted to direct Danish legal authorities. As a result of these attempts, a case was opened in September 2010 for the closure of our TV channel. The case was concluded on 14 December 2011 and the decision was announced on 10 January 2012. The counsel for the prosecution demanded the closure and dispossession of our TV however the Court rejected this demand and imposed pecuniary penalty on our companies on the grounds of ‘knowingly making propaganda’.”
The statement ended thanking the ROJ-TV’s real owners, the peoples of Kurdistan who have protected the channel since the very beginning, and the channel’s all colleagues and friends who represent the value judgments of European peoples.
“With the rise of the ‘ROJ’ (sun) every morning, ROJ- TV will continue to tell you the truths and to sing the songs of forbidden languages”, ended the statement.