H. E. Jean-Luc Dehaene
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Brussels
Belgium
Vienna, 3 October 1996
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 85 countries, is deeply disturbed by the recent police raid on the office of MED-TV in Brussels.
On 18 September 1996, Belgian police raided the licensed Kurdish-language television station MED-TV, confiscated various items, including computers and archive material, and closed down the station’s office, forcing it to discontinue broadcasting. We understand that all occupants of the building were handcuffed and questioned for several hours.
We are informed that the raid was carried out as part of an investigation into the partners which fund MED-TV and that the offices of the station remain closed, despite the fact the neither the working journalists nor the station per se are under investigation.
IPI regards this action as a grave violation of the right to “seek, receive and impart information through any media and regardless of frontiers,” as guaranteed by Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We therefore strongly urge that MED-TV be allowed to immediately resume broadcasting and that all confiscated material is returned without delay. We further urge you to ensure that the station’s journalists are allowed to carry out their profession without further harassment.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director