A systematic attack on ROJ TV

After Prime minister of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Denmark, the continuous attack and insult on press freedom, such as smearing ROJ TV has been increased.

An organised and orchestrated decision to attack Roj TV, was taken in the meeting of General Staff on 19th July 2005, and was pronounced in a press conference with Turkish press by second commander Ilker Basbug . In this press conference, general Basbug declared that some of the newspapers are not tolerating Roj TV and asked press for closer collaboration against Roj TV.

The prime minister of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan and the leader of the main opposition party Baykal are working for a collective defamation approach against Roj TV. Instead of resolving the actual and daily problems of Turkey, they cover up the realities. Even Turkey's mass media have joined this latest approach.

Turkey's press and television stations, by their daily baseless claims and disinformation against Roj TV, are covering up the real agenda in Turkey. Their aim is to make people to forget the events in Semdinli, Yuksekova and Slopi, where the significant public awareness revealed the role of state involvement in the incidents.

Erdogan and Baykal who do not take any real step to solve the Kurdish questions have a common view in attacking ROJ TV. The Turkish mass media have turned into an instrument for broadcasting of dictating ideologies by these parties.

Instead of evaluating the content and quality of our programming and setting it in the framework of universal press norms, they have restored the fabrication and insulting campaign against ROJ TV.

They named people as members of Roj TV’s managing board, who have never had such positions. They terrorise politicians, intellectuals and artists who participate in our programmes. They are attempting to charge the personalities attending at ROJ TV’s programs with criminal acts. By these means, which are against all moral and legal principles, they want to isolate Roj TV. Turkey's record in press freedom among 167 countries in the world is in the rank of 115. Even the world's transparency report has placed Turkey at 77 among 146 ranked countries. If we review those reports then the reason for attacking Roj TV becomes clearer.

Roj TV as always will be devoted to the principles of free thought and free speech. We are not bowing to the attacks and pressures perpetuated against us by Turkish army, government and press, and we will continue in our free and independent path.

28 November 2005
ROJ TV
Managing Board