The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has issued a suspension and administrative fine to Açık Radyo due to a guest’s comments on the Armenian Genocide. Açık Radyo stated, “We will continue broadcasting with the same principles and responsibility.”
RTÜK has fined Açık Radyo and imposed a five-day broadcast suspension for statements made by a guest regarding the Armenian Genocide on the “Açık Gazete” program aired on April 24, 2024. The council cited a violation of Article 8 of Law No. 6112 and imposed an administrative fine of 189,282 TL, the maximum allowable amount, along with the suspension.
The decision was based on the guest’s remarks: “… the 109th anniversary of the deportations and massacres, referred to as genocide, that occurred on Ottoman soil. The Armenian genocide commemoration was banned again this year, as you know.” The program hosts did not attempt to correct these statements. RTÜK warned that a repeated violation could lead to a ten-day suspension and potential revocation of the station’s broadcasting license.
Açık Radyo has emphasized its commitment to freedom of thought, expression, and press since its inception, maintaining these principles for 30 years. The station asserted that the decision was incompatible with universal legal and journalistic principles and that no statements in the program violated the boundaries of free expression or journalistic ethics.
Açık Radyo stated, “The program cannot be considered to incite hatred or enmity or to foster feelings of hatred in society.” The station condemned the penalty as erroneous and announced plans to pursue legal avenues, affirming, “We will continue to broadcast with the same principles and responsibility.”
