In response to the closure decision regarding their channel, Med Nuçe TV editors stated that they would stand up for the tradition of free press. The editors called upon people to show solidarity and oppose the AKP’s attacks on the media due to its fear that truths will be uncovered.

Med Nuçe TV editors spoke to ANF on Eutelsat’s decision to end the TV channel’s broadcast.

GÜL: WE KNOW THIS SELF-INTERESTED MENTALITY

Med Nuçe Editor Baki Gül stated that Eutelsat has decided to end Med Nuçe TV’s broadcast with no explanation; a situation that Roj and Nuçe TV had faced in the past. Gül noted that Med Nuçe TV had not received any warning, and recalled the closure of 10 other channels that have many Kurdish and Alevi viewers. Gül stated that "It is understandable if these channels were removed from state-controlled Turksat, since the AKP fascism and totalitarian regime in Turkey is institutionalizing itself. However, Eutelsat is a company of the European Union. The EU criticizes Turkey. It is anti-democratic to close these channels. It is worrisome that such decisions are made for political and economic interests despite Tayyip Erdoğan’s targeting of democratic and opposition groups. We know this self-interested mentality from back when Med TV, Medya TV, Roj TV and Özgür Politika were shut down. Med Nuçe TV became the last example.

‘THEY ARE UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE WE BROADCAST THE MASSACRES’

Gül emphasized that opposition media was silenced in Turkey, where more than 400 channels and tens of newspapers make pro-government broadcast. Gül said "These channels and newspapers only cover Erdoğan. The attack on Med Nuçe is the indicator of a new wave of attacks because it broadcasts on Kurdistan and Turkey. It covers the truth in Turkey, and they want to close down Med Nuçe TV because they are uncomfortable with it. In which way you look at it, the violation of the freedom of press and the violation of democratic rights are not acceptable. The tradition that we are a part of struggles to exist despite these pressures. AKP had indicated that massacres would continue in Kurdistan. Minister of Interior Affairs Süleyman Soylu said ‘we will continue day and night.’ Şırnak has been burnt down, Kurdish towns have been shelled and bombarded. Hundreds of people have been massacred. The oppression continues. People are victimized. Talking about these issues puts pressure on the government. They are uncomfortable because we broadcast the massacres and the things that they want to render invisible. There is no alternative media in Turkey, with the exception of a couple of weak outlets. For example, soldiers die and sabotage actions occur, and all media outlets hide these. These are newsworthy, and their coverage collapses government policies. They censor the funeral of soldiers. They are bothered when we cover these funerals. Relatives of soldiers have objections. Relatives of captured soldiers call us, not the government, to receive information. Even this bothers the government.”

‘THEY WILL NOT SUCCEED’

Lastly, Baki Gül touched upon the tradition of Kurdish press and said “The AKP’s pressures are not too different from the oppression of the 1990s. Our buildings were bombed and friends were martyred. There were arrests, exiles and other policies of oppression. We are a channel with Kurdish origins but we broadcast in Turkish. We will continue to broadcast the truth. No matter how much they try to silence us, they will fail. This issue will not be pleasant for Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish state. We will express these truths. Our foundation is the tradition of Med TV, Medya TV and Roj TV, which had all been closed down. Kurds and the Turkish society will continue to have access to TV.

KATURMAN: EUROPE VIOLATES ITS OWN LAWS

Med Nuçe Editor Pınar Katurman said the decision to close Med Nuçe TV came at a time when the channel was covering the closure of opposition channels in Turkey, and said "We have been covering the fascist attacks of the AKP against Kurdish people and their allies for some time now. We have fulfilled our responsibility, and will continue to do so in the future.”

Katurman stated that Europe violates its own laws and commits a crime against its own people with Med Nuçe TV’s closure, and continued: "Laws dictate that if there is a problem with our broadcast, they are supposed to warn us in advance. The closure decision came without such a warning, and this is because the closure is a political decision and the result of a fascist collaboration. Free press cannot be silenced. Some people describe the process that began with the attacks on Özgür Gündem as the government’s collapse plan, others call it an attempt to mask massacres. As Med Nuçe, we will continue the tradition of free press."

Lastly, Katurman noted that Med Nuçe’s broadcast favors labor, women’s rights and democracy, and fascism would succeed in censoring the voice of the truth.

ER: PART OF THE COLLAPSE PLAN

Med Nuçe Editor Erdal Er recalled that the AKP government had begun to implement its ‘Collapse Plan’ against the Kurdish Freedom Movement in 2014, and media constituted an important chapter of this plan. He continued: “They had listed TV channels and newspapers, including Med Nuçe, İMC and Özgür Gündem. We now see that the ‘Collapse Plan’ is in motion. They were aiming to destroy cities across Kurdistan, massacre between 7 thousand and 15 thousand people, and force 300-500 thousand people to migrate. They tried to do this through cruelty. Their goal was to break the will of Kurdish people. They needed the world to not see or hear these cruelties, so they are attacking the media. We must question the role of European countries here. They have sacrificed the Kurdish issue for their own interests for more than a hundred years. European countries and the rest of the world have a big responsibility in the current state of the Kurdish issue. They continue to play this unfortunate role, and sacrifice the gains of Kurdish people for their own interests."

'WE WILL CARRY THE BANNER'

Er recalled that only media outlets such as Med Nuçe, ANF, Stêrk, Ronahî and Newroz broadcast the voice of Mehmet Tunç as Cizre was being burnt down, and said "they were bothered by this. Med Nuçe informed the world about the destruction of Kurds’ sacred sites and cemeteries. Similarly, they attacked Alevi, leftist and socialist outlets in Turkey. This is no coincidence. Our viewers must not accept this. These are strong indications of new wave of attacks. Parliamentarians and co-presidents will probably be arrested in the near future."

'GENOCIDAL ATTACKS WILL INCREASE’

Er said "Policies of physical genocide targeting Kurdish people will continue increasingly. We can understand this from Erdoğan’s messages. As media employees, we will carry the banner and not kneel down. It is of vital importance for our viewers, people and democratic allies to stand up for us, our TV channel and other opposition media outlets.

ASLAN: WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPOSE THE AKP’S CRIMES

Med Nuçe Editor Heval Nesrin Aslan said that the AKP was uncomfortable because TV channels inform the world about the massacres in Kurdistan, and said “Free press cannot be silenced and the truth cannot be hidden. We will continue to pursue and broadcast the truth. There has been an intense war in Turkey and Kurdistan over the past year, and the AKP has silenced the media in Turkey. With the exception of a few of newspapers, there is no opposition media outlet in the country. We knew that our TV channel was under pressure, and believe that Eutelsat’s decision is a result of these pressures.