Acik Radyo falls silent as Turkish media regulator revokes license

ISTANBUL — With a farewell song of “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, a Turkish radio station fell silent this week after nearly 30 years of broadcasts.

The final Acik Radyo broadcast on Wednesday came as a court upheld the Turkish media regulator’s order to revoke the Istanbul-based station’s license over the mention of “Armenian genocide” on air.

Following the court ruling on October 8, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, known as RTUK, informed Acik Radyo that it must stop broadcasting within five days.

The order to revoke the license silenced the independent radio station for the first time since it began terrestrial broadcasting in 1995.

“We are finishing now; thank you to all Acik Radyo listeners and supporters. Acik Radyo will remain open to all the sounds, colors and vibrations of the universe,” Omer Madra, the editor-in-chief, said on air before the last song played.

The license revocation is related to comments made on air by journalist Cengiz Aktar on April 24. Aktar said the day was “the 109th anniversary, the anniversary of the massacres of Armenians, that is, the deportations and massacres that took place in the Ottoman lands, the massacres that are termed genocide.”

“This year, the commemoration of the Armenian genocide was also banned, you know,” Aktar said.

In a statement to VOA’s Turkish Service, the RTUK said “the terms ‘genocide’ and ‘massacre’ were used for the 1915 Events, and the program moderator made no attempt to correct this.”

The term “1915 Events” is how Turkish officials usually refer to the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

April 24 is recognized as a commemoration day of the beginning of what many historians and countries, including the United States, Canada and France, recognize as the Armenian genocide.

Broadcasts cut

Turkey’s media regulator first imposed an administrative fine and five-day suspension on Acik Radyo in May over the guest’s statements.

RTUK said the broadcast violated the law by inciting public hatred and enmity by making distinctions “based on race, language, religion, gender, class, region and religious order.”

On July 3, the regulator moved to revoke the license, saying that Acik Radyo had failed to comply with the suspension.

In a statement, the radio station said that it had intended to comply and had paid the first installment of the administrative fine. It added that the failure to implement the suspension was a result of “technical inconvenience.”

An RTUK official told VOA that according to the law, if a media provider continues to broadcast after a suspension “the Supreme Council shall decide on revoking its broadcasting license.”

“As can be seen, the legislator did not grant the Supreme Board any discretion in this matter and made it mandatory to cancel the license in case the sanction is not applied,” the RTUK official told VOA.

Acik Radyo defended the guest’s statement as being in “the scope of freedom of expression.”

When Acik Radyo appealed the fine and suspension, a court in July ruled in the station’s favor.

But RTUK objected to the court ruling and, on October 8, the court ruled in favor of the regulator.

Umit Altas, Acik Radyo’s lawyer, called RTUK’s move “excessive intervention.”

“RTUK’s decision to revoke the license, which is the most severe penalty, is against all precedents. This has exceeded the proportionality criteria of both Turkey’s Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. License cancellation is the most severe decision. We think that it is not lawful to make such a decision,” Altas told VOA Turkish.

The station has appealed the most recent court decision, and its lawyer expects a verdict within a month.

Acik Radyo’s broadcast coordinator, Didem Gencturk, told VOA Turkish that the station is evaluating its options. She said that RTUK also requires internet broadcasters to obtain a license.

“We have the right to apply for different license forms as broadcasters. We hope to continue our broadcasts with one of these, even if not on a terrestrial [land-based] medium,” Gencturk said.

Supporters gather

On Wednesday evening, Acik Radyo’s listeners and supporters gathered in front of the outlet’s studios in Istanbul to show their solidarity.

Madra read a statement and called the license withdrawal “an attempt to silence the public voice.”

Madra added that the station is evaluating its options for continuing its broadcasts.

“There is no way that Acik Radyo will be silenced or be forgotten after the RTUK’s decision. Let me even say that we may be able to take [the license] back,” Madra told VOA Turkish.

Some of those who gathered outside the station had contributed to programming over the years.

“We are not giving in to despair. We will bring our broadcasts to our listeners and supporters as soon as possible,” said Yesim Burul, who produces “Sinefil,” a show on cinema, for Acik Radyo.

Murat Meric, who produces several music shows, called for solidarity and said he is preparing to continue his show.

Turkish actor Tulin Ozen told VOA Turkish she grew up with the station.

“I think the silencing of Acik Radyo is a shame for Turkey. I am here because I am against censorship in general. I am here because I am against being silenced,” Ozen said.

This story originated in VOA’s Turkish Service.
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