KONGRA-GEL (the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK) Chairman Remzi Kartal, Zübeyir Aydar and another six people were arrested in the course of raids carried out at the Kurdish television channel Roj TV and against representatives of the pro-Kurdish Peach and Democracy Party (BDP) by the Belgium police last week on 4 March. The duration of detention has been prolonged.

A total of 22 people were arrested after the searches, 14 of them were released. Fırat News Agency (ANF) reported that the detention of eight people, Kartal and Aydar among them, was extended to 9 March.

"Journalists in detention, great material damage"

Among the people in detention are journalists Burhan Erdem, Barış Güllü, Murat Yaklav, Zana Azadi and Roj Tv General Director Gülşen Emsiz. Roj TV had to temporarily suspend its broadcasting because the broadcast room was put into disarray and demolished during the raid. Therefore, Roj TV claims a € 1.2 million loss regarding technical damages caused by the raid.

Livh: Accusation is neither just nor rational

The Stockholm Mayor Margrethe Livh described the operations to have been aimed at applying pressure, saying that "this was a grave violation of freedom of expression against the Kurdish people. Accusations based on such weak proof are neither just nor rational".

As reported by ANF, about 300 people gathered in front of the Belgium Embassy in Bordeaux (France) to voice their protest against the raids directed at Roj TV and Kurdish politicians. Information about previous raids in Italy and France was handed out at the protest. A black wreath was left in front of the embassy. A protest march was planned for the weekend by Kurdish people in Basel (Switzerland).

Journalist Dicle: Not a legal but a political operation

In a press conference on Friday (5 March), Roj TV broadcasting director Ahmet Dicle stated: "Our broadcastings were aimed to be obstructed by sabotage".

According to Dicle, the raid started at 5.00 am and lasted for twelve hours. 200 computers were confiscated as well as the editorial information system, the computer and other devices belonging to Reuters news agency Roj TV is subscribed to, image and voice special effect machines, more than 20 laptops, private goods and clothes and food of the employees. "The remaining things are broken, all the cables have been cut", Dicle described the search.

Dicle asked the Belgium government to return the confiscated devices and technical equipment.

"The raid carried out on Roj TV was not a routine raid at any arbitrary institution. This pirate-like operation was carried out in contrast to Belgium and European law. We are broadcasting as a company and our doors are always open..."

"We and Belgium authorities believe that this was not a legal and legitimate operation but a political one. The ones who conducted this raid are the same people that terrorize the Kurdish people and Kurdish institutions in Turkey on behalf of the Turkish government", Dicle argued.

"Seven people got injured"

"This was not an operation against terrorism, but a terrorist operation against the Kurdish media and Kurdish institutions. In no other operation or investigation into any other television channel seven people got injured before. Our colleagues took medical reports. The people injured were not terrorists but journalists". (EÖ/VK)