Author: Vladimir » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:47 am
They recently banned the PKK newspaper Ozgur Gundem for 15 days only lol...
7. - Turkish Daily News - "Limited Kurdish broadcasts approved":
Three channels to start limited broadcasts.
ANKARA / 9 March 2006
The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) has approved broadcasts in Kurdish for two television channels in Diyarbakir -- Gün TV and Söz TV -- and a radio station in Sanliurfa, Medya FM, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The channels will only be able to start their broadcasts after signing a protocol.
Turkey, working toward European Union membership, changed its laws in 2002 to allow limited broadcasts in Kurdish and other minority languages, and state television has been airing programs in two Kurdish dialects for a half-hour each week.
As part of EU-oriented reforms, Parliament in 2002 also granted limited rights for Kurdish to be taught at private language institutions. Although Kurds at first welcomed the schools as a first step toward greater rights, these schools have since closed down due to dwindling interest and Kurdish demands for the language to be part of the regular state school curriculum.
The suppression of ethnic cultures and minority religious groups in attempting to forge a modern nation were not unique to Turkey but occurred in very similar ways in its European neighbours - Bruinessen.