RTÜK initiates legal proceedings against DW Turkish over coverage of Israel-Palestine conflict

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has initiated a legal process against DW Türkçe for its article titled "What actions are considered war crimes?" covering the Israel-Palestine conflict.

RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin, in a statement regarding the article about the Israel-Palestine conflict, accused DW Türkçe of violating universal broadcasting principles. He claimed that DW Türkçe engaged in manipulative and false journalism, distorting the truth.

Furthermore, Şahin argued that DW does not recognize Turkish laws and court decisions, alleging that it conducts illegal broadcasting.

In his statement, Şahin quoted DW Türkçe's post on the article titled "What actions are considered war crimes?" as follows:

"Like in every sovereign state, our country has laws compatible with the European Union in the field of broadcasting. All broadcasters operating in Turkey are required to fulfill legal obligations. The Radio and Television Supreme Council regulates and supervises radio and television institutions as the broadcasting authority. This international broadcaster, which violates universal broadcasting principles, has been eager to distort the truth with its unrestrained and manipulative false news, without borders or rules.

Disregarding the laws produced as the product of the national will, insisting on not complying with the rules, and pretending to be impartial, this broadcasting platform, in defiance of RTÜK and court decisions, continues to do the bidding of its animosity towards our country and humanity. Our Supreme Council closely monitors developments and has immediately initiated the necessary legal process for the illegal broadcasts."

DW Türkçe's article, published on October 16, stated, "The United Nations (UN) indicates that it has evidence of possible war crimes committed in the Israel-Hamas conflicts." However, it also mentioned that the bombing of places like schools or apartment buildings may not be considered a war crime if deemed militarily necessary according to international law.

The expression in the article was as follows:

"During conflicts, military activities are classified as war crimes based on whether the action is necessary. For instance, bombing a school or an apartment building may not be considered a war crime if it is deemed militarily necessary according to international law.

"The Israel-Hamas conflicts highlight the difficulty of making such a distinction from afar. Moreover, Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. According to experts, this makes it challenging to differentiate between civilian and military targets."

In Turkey, DW Türkçe had its access blocked by RTÜK via a decision on June 30, 2022, as a requirement for making a license application to continue broadcasting content to Turkey via the internet.

However, after the decision, the organization continued to broadcast its content to Turkey using different domain names or VPN. The Ministry of Industry and Technology also did not renew DW Türkçe's work license in the following period. As a result, DW Türkçe closed its Turkey office and transitioned its employees to freelance positions. (HA/VK)