Statement of the Left Party of Sweden on ROJ-TV

Kurdish TV-station ROJ-TV broadcasts programs in different languages spoken in the Middle East: Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish among others. It is possible to watch the programs in several countries in the Middle East.

A lot of the TV-programs are social programs and some of these are critical of the social order and when it comes to some regimes in the Middle East the programs are also critical of them.

Many programs broadcast by ROJ-TV are therefore regarded as a political liability to the regimes in the Middle East. The Turkish government for example is regarding the programs of ROJ-TV in Kurdish in this way.

The Left Party of Sweden must stress upon the fact that the freedom of expression belongs to one of the most fundamental rules of the democratic game. If the Republic of Turkey is striving for membership in the European Union and has in view to develop its democracy and manage to come to an end with the lack of human rights in the country even the slightest whispering of limiting the possibilities of critical radio- and TV-stations or other media in Europe immediately will jeopardize the possibilities of a Turkish membership in the European Union. It is a behavior which can not be tolerated in a democracy..


In the same way it would be an utterly embarrassing disgrace if a state, a government in Europe or EU-institution submitted to pressure of such an evidently undemocratic demand.

Stockholm , 14th of September


Ulla Hoffmann Amineh Kakabaveh

Member of the Swedish Parliament Member of the International Committee

Left Party of Sweden %