The Supreme Council of Radio and Television of Turkey has revoked the license of Açık Radyo, saying the radio station used the phrase”Armenian Genocide” on the air on April 24.
The Council had decided to fine the radio station and suspend its broadcasting for using the term “Armenian Genocide.” It then canceled the station’s license when Açık Radyo did not comply with the suspension order.
The council, consisting of nine members and dominated by representatives of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), decided to close the radio station because it did not stop broadcasting the program, which, according to the council, violated the article “inciting hatred and hostility towards society or inciting hatred among the population, regardless of race, language, religion, gender, class, or sect.”
With this decision the future of the almost 30-year-old radio station, which first went on the air in 1995, is jeopardized since it was being operated mainly through the effort of volunteers.
The more democratic and open-minded intelligentsia of Turkey is worried, but not surprised, since the list of non-government media punished by the Supreme Council is long.
Since its very first day on air, Açık Radyo has been defending fundamental human rights and freedoms, promoting multicultural life, relations between cultures and identities. The weekly Agos newspaper has been featured on the radio for several years. To date, the radio station has produced more than 1,200 programs covering politics, socio-economic news, culture and segments focusing on the environment. Radio officials said during the 30 years, some 1,300 volunteers helped to keep the Açık Radyo on the air.
The staff and management of the radio station will try to protect their rights by all legal means and oppose repression against freedom of the press.
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