Stêrk TV and Medya Haber TV staff condemne police raid on their studios

Last midnight, the Belgian police raided the Stêrk TV and Medya Haber TV in the Belgian city of Denderlieu. The raid was carried out without providing any explanation or reason, and the workers of the 2 satellite channels were prevented from accessing the studios throughout the night.

Workers at the Stêrk TV and Medya Haber TV made a statement on this matter and said: “They smashed the door and entered in a barbaric manner, first destroying the computers and broadcast equipment.”

The statement was read by Ramadan Elgin, on behalf of the Stêrk TV station, and Haval Aslan, on behalf of the Medya Haber TV, in front of the 2 satellite channels building in Belgium, and its text read:

“The Belgian Federal Police raided, at approximately 1:30 midnight last night (April 23rd), the buildings of (Stêrk TV), (Roj N.V.) and (Hîvron N.V.) in the city of Denderlieu, without informing the lawyers and managers of our company. They raided the buildings late at night, by breaking down the doors of our offices and barbarically entering them, they destroyed our computers and broadcast equipment.

Therefore, we condemn this illegal and undemocratic attack that took place in Europe. This operation does not fall within the category of legal procedures or official inspections. Rather, it is an attack on free media institutions that represent the voice of the Kurdish people, especially since it coincided with the Turkish police raiding the homes of a number of Kurdish journalists, in Turkey, this attack is a continuation of the systematic attack, and it also coincided with the 126th anniversary of the Kurdish press, and this undoubtedly carries within it an intended message."

And they noted that: "We would like to point out that we consider the police raid without informing our lawyers and company managers to be a conspiracy, as we believe that searches without legal warrants are a crime and a violation of the law. As workers in the field of free media, we realize that such attacks cannot be explained in light of any legal procedures, but we will exercise all our legal rights, and our lawyers will begin action against these barbaric attacks soon."

Also emphasized on: "the voice of our people is always heard and that no one is able to silence us. We address our people, our friends, and the fascist parties that seek to silence us, this message: “We are here. We are responsible for spreading our language and culture and conveying the voice of our people. This is a sacred duty for us. Kurdistani journalists have exposed the dirty practices committed by the Turkish state, such as burning villages and forests and killing children and women, and exposed them to public opinion. And the workers in the free media are the ones who conveyed the brutality of ISIS to the world and sacrificed their lives in order to convey this truth, and the whole world knows this. We will always strive to convey the truth.”

Sh-S

ANHA