MED TV

MED TV Programmes were a varied mix from children's programmes, music, drama through to political discussions, documentaries and news broadcasts. It broadcast to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Its primary audience was in the Middle East where it was seen by many as a refreshing source of information outside of state censorship. It also has a large audience amongst the Kurdish population scattered throughout Europe.In Turkey, it was forbidden to watch Med TV, people were arrested for having been caught watching its programs. Turkey saw MED TV as a part of the PKK. Non the less its shows were very popular amongst Kurds in Turkey.[2]

Turkey repeatedly urged providers of satellites to end the broadcast of MED TV. Med TV first broadcast with a license from Independent Television Commission (ITC) and from satellites of Polish Telecom, until the polish government gave in to Turkish demands to ban MED TV. Following the ban in Poland, Med TV rented satellites from USA based Intelsat to broadcast its programs.[3] But Turkey kept on demanding the British Government to take MED TV off the air, and MED TV's license was revoked on April 23, 1999, as their broadcasts were judged as 'likely to encourage or incite crime or lead to disorder'. Its license was revoked just after the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, at the official request of Turkey.[4]

Independent Television Commission Press release read:

After repeated failure to comply with the requirements of its licence and following a period of suspension, the Kurdish satellite channel Med TV was served a notice by the ITC revoking its licence on 23 April. The licensee's service remained suspended until the notice came into effect in 28 days as required by law. Med TV's licence was suspended on 22 March by the ITC under section 45A of the Broadcasting Act 1990, following four broadcasts which included inflammatory statements encouraging acts of violence in Turkey and elsewhere. These were judged by the ITC as 'likely to encourage or incite crime or lead to disorder'. This is against UK law, as set out in the 1990 and 1996 Broadcasting Acts.[5]

In his statement ITC chairman Sir Robin Biggam announced that:

We took particular and sympathetic account of the circumstances in which the broadcasts in question were made and the changes which Med TV proposed to make to its service in future. However, the Commission decided that it was necessary in the public interest to revoke this licence and has served a notice on the licence holder to that effect. Whatever sympathy there may be in the United Kingdom for the Kurdish people, it is not in the public interest to have any broadcaster use the UK as a platform for broadcasts which incite people to violence. Med TV have been given many opportunities to be a peaceful voice for their community; to allow them to continue broadcasting after such serious breaches would be to condone the misuse of the UK’s system for licensing broadcasters... In considering Med TV’s representations, in particular the remedial action proposed, we had to bear in mind that there have been most serious and repeated failures on their part to comply with their licence and the ITC Programme Code. There has also been a failure to implement effectively undertakings made to the Commission in the past. Under these circumstances, the Commission was not satisfied that measures short of revocation would prevent repetition. We regret that this action has proved necessary, but we must take into account the requirements placed upon us by Parliament to act in such circumstances.[6]

Following the ban there were widespread allegations of bias on the part of the ITC as the then chairman Sir Robin Biggam had interests in BAE Systems which also had extensive interests in Turkey.[7][8][9] Balfour Beatty and the UK Government were also criticized over the ban.[10]

On April 26, 1999, a spokesman for MED-TV said that they were determined to resume broadcasting either in a different country or under a new name.[11]

It is not in the public interest to have any broadcaster use the UK as a platform for broadcasts which incite people to violence.

— ITC Chairman Sir Robin Biggam.[6]

When I went to Diyarbakir and Mardin in December 1995 for the Turkish general election, I enquired particularly whether that TV station [Med-TV] was being received and what was the public response. I was told that the viewers were positively rapturous. Old people had wept for joy after such a long period of cultural starvation. For all, it was a new window on the world and, what is more, in their own language.

— Lord Hylton, House of Lords debate on Human Rights in Turkey, 18 July 1997.[12]

When Med TV lost its licence in the UK, MEDYA TV started transmissions via a satellite uplink from France in July 1999 and a production studio in Denderleeuw, Belgium.[13] MEDYA TV's licence was revoked by the French authorities in February 2004,[13] the French court believed that the station had ties with PKK;[14] and CSA, the French licensing authority stated that MEDYA TV was a successor to MED-TV, and French Appeal Court confirmed CSA's decision.[15] The channel ran an announcement stating that "A new channel, Roj TV, will begin broadcasting on the first of the month".

Roj TV began transmissions from Denmark on March 1, 2004.[14][15]

• Kurds in Turkey
• Human rights in Turkey