TURKEY: KURDISH MAYORS INDICTED FOR ROJ TV LETTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003676 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2026 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM OSCE EU DA TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: KURDISH MAYORS INDICTED FOR ROJ TV LETTER Classified by acting Polcouns Charles O. Blaha; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Prosecutors have indicted 56 mayors from Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast on charges of supporting the PKK by sending a letter to Danish PM Rasmussen urging him to resist GOT pressure to shut down ROJ TV. The mayors, all from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP),signed a letter sent to Rasmussen in December 2005. Signatories include Osman Baydemir, mayor of Diyarbakir, the largest city in the southeast. ¶2. (U) The GOT maintains that ROJ TV, which broadcasts in Kurdish from Denmark, is a mouthpiece for the PKK; the GOT is urging the Government of Denmark to close the station. In their letter, the mayors call the GOT efforts "anti-democratic" and assert that, "there still exists a fundamental difference between Turkey and the European civilization in matters of freedom of press and expression." The mayors state that ROJ TV attracts a large audience among Turkey's Kurds because the GOT places undue restrictions on Kurdish-language broadcasting within Turkey. They argue that ROJ TV poses no threat to Turkey, regardless of whether one agrees with its editorial content, and call on the GOT to enable independent Kurdish-language stations to flourish in Turkey. "We hope that one day ROJ TV will be able to broadcast from nowhere else but from Istanbul, Ankara or Diyarbakir, and it will be only one among many other Kurdish TV stations that will be launched with the support of the Turkish government." ¶3. (U) Prosecutors have completed their investigation and submitted their indictment to a Diyarbakir court. The court could decide to dismiss the indictment, but a number of contacts told us they consider that unlikely, and expect trial proceedings to begin in the coming weeks. The mayors face charges under both the Penal Code and the Anti-Terror Law for "knowingly and willingly assisting a terrorist organization." The charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. ¶4. (C) PM Rasmussen reacted harshly when the indictment was leaked to the press on June 15, telling reporters that a trial against the mayors "is no something we (the EU) will quietly accept because it would be completely contradictory to the principle that has to be met for countres wishing to join the EU." The Danish DCM in Ankara told us that Rasmussen, a staunch free speech advocate, has the full backing of all parties in the Danish Parliament for his tough stance. If there is a trial, or, worse yet, a conviction, it will undermine support for Turkey's EU candidacy in Denmark, and perhaps other EU countries, he said. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) Regardless of the outcome of the GOT efforts, supported by the USG, to shut down ROJ TV, the charges against the mayors will only add to the impression that Turkey is still not prepared to allow free expression on controversial topics. If the court dismisses the charges, or quickly rules for acquittal, the blame can be placed on Turkey's overzealous prosecutors, but a conviction would cause more damage. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON