His Excellency Bülent Ecevit
Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
Prime Minister’s Office
Ankara
Turkey

Vienna, 26 August 1999

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, condemns the banning of a Turkish television channel, Kanal 6, because of it coverage of last week’s devastating earthquake.

We are informed that the privately-owned national television channel was shut down for one week because of its critical coverage of the government’s handling of the rescue and cleanup operation and of companies it blamed for poorly constructed buildings that collapsed in the quake. Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, the High Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK), barred the station from going on air for a week from 30 August on charges of “encouraging violence, terror and ethnic discrimination and allowing broadcasting that could create feelings of hatred among the people.” We understand that Kanal 6 will go to court to fight the order, but that the station does not expect to stop the ban.

The Turkish government and military, stung by media criticism of its handling of the aftermath of the quake – which may have killed more than 40,000 people – have blamed the media for “going too far” and “having a negative effect on morale.” On Wednesday, 25 August, Health Minister Osman Durmus, the main target for criticism, urged the RTÜK to take action against six national television channels he accused of “directing grave insults towards him.” Durmus is alleged to have spurned offers for help from Armenia and Greece.

The IPI, while sympathising with the daunting task facing the Turkish government, regards the closure of Kanal 6 to be a flagrant violation of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We therefore urge Your Excellency to ensure that the ban on Channel 6 is lifted and that the media in Turkey is allowed to report freely on events surrounding the earthquake.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director