The Turkish Embassy in Stockholm has been in e-mails to TV4 tried to stop a documentary.
They are invited to “rethink its decision” to broadcast the documentary “Seyfo 1915 – The Assyrian genocide “.
– There is a clear attempt to apply pressure, says program director Viveka Hansson.
the top politicians now call on State Department to take action.
– You should call the ambassador said V leader Jonas Sjöstedt.
Seyfo is what the Assyrians call the slaughtering of Assyrians, Armenians and other minorities during the time of the First World War. The documentary broadcast on TV4 Facts on Sunday evening depict the survivor stories.
Today, Sunday, manifested genocide of over a million Assyrians and Armenians in the former Ottoman Empire, now Turkey.
an email to TV4 writes Arif Gulen, the press officer at the Turkish embassy, he respects freedom of expression. But he questions whether it is called genocide.
Arif Gulen: “It’s my feelings”
When Expressen reach Arif Gulen, he says that he wants to TV4 should rethink its decision.
– The is my feeling, I want them to think about it. As I wrote in my emails, I have full respect for freedom of expression and the channel, but you know … what happened in 1915 … I have written down my feelings in the mail, clearly. There is nothing more to say.
Asked about the email has been discussed on a higher place he says no.
– It’s my feelings. It is their decision. I do not know if they will change. They can transmit it, if they want. But I can say what I feel, too.
Expressen has unsuccessfully sought Turkey’s ambassador for comment.
Challenger press freedom
Just a few days ago trying to Green Party Planning silence criticism of Mehmet Kaplan SVT, in the aftermath of the minister’s resignation due to dinner with the leader of the extreme right-wing Grey wolves.
Viveka Hansson interprets the call as to obvious attempt to exert pressure.
– In order to get us to refrain from broadcasting a documentary that the embassy did not appreciate, says Viveka Hansson.
– the email is polite, but the message can not be mistaken, she says.
the email comes just over a week after Barbaros Leyalani, Vice President of the Turkish National Association, resigned after he in a speech at Sergel square chanted “death to the Armenian dogs”.
“this development, we can never accept. we will protest against any attempt to exert pressure that threatens freedom of expression” , writes Viveka Hansson.
V leader: “Call the ambassador”
Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt, V, is critical of the Turkish ambassador. He says that freedom of speech is threatened when free media is subjected to pressure from other countries and that the government should make a clear statement.
– It is unacceptable that a country seeking to silence media in Sweden and it must mark against rock hard. The TV4 has done, but it should also do the State Department. One should recall the ambassador and to make clear that what you are doing in Turkey, which is very bad against the media, there is nothing you can do in Sweden, says Jonas Sjöstedt.
While the Liberals directed an appeal to Foreign Ministry must react.
– It is totally unreasonable to Turkish Embassy in Sweden trying to stop the broadcast of a documentary on Swedish TV channel and I assume that the State Department now refer to the Turkish ambassador for a discussion of what freedom of the press means and what rules apply in Sweden and the Swedish democracy, says MP Fredrik Malm TV4 News.
the publishers: “Quite right that says”
Per-Anders Broberg, CEO of the publishers, think the pressure we have seen examples from the Green Party and the Turkish embassy has become increasingly common.
– you try to put pressure on the media, and therefore I think it is good that the man who SVT and TV4 made, talks about the game beyond what you want to publish. The media’s job is to tell and try to influence the publishing decision, it becomes a threat to our open society and we can never accept, says Per-Anders Broberg.
What should the order to prevent this kind of pressure?
– to tell about it and get into a discussion about it is obviously the first step. Then of course, that we as publishers and publishers resist these pressures and show that there is no use, we make our own publishing decisions on our own grounds.
will broadcast the documentary
TV4 has stated that it will not change its plans to broadcast the documentary “Seyfo 1915 – The Assyrian Genocide” on Sunday evening.
the Armenian genocide was carried out 101 years ago today, Sunday. 2010 the Swedish Parliament established that there was a genocide committed against the Christian minority, and that it was Turkey who were guilty.
Red-Greens, which was then in opposition, supported the proposal but the recognition has still not been enforced in the government.
No comments:
Post a Comment