Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Board (RTUK) ordered Radio Dunya (World) off the air for a month for broadcasting a program in Kurdish.

RTUK said the airing of a program called "History of Kurdish Language and Literature," on December 2002, and January 2003, was the reason to order the radio off the air. RTUK also said the radio would be banned from air for an indefinite length of time and its licence would be cancelled if it repeated to "violate broadcasting principles."

The statement also said that airing Kurdish songs violated laws which ban broadcasts that endanger "Turkish Republic's existence and independence, the indivisible integrity of the state, and that are against Ataturk's principles and revolutions."

According to RTUK's decision, Radio Dunya will remain closed for a month from July 10.

"Kurdish music can be played"

Sabri Ejder Ozic, the director of Radio Dunya, said the recent reforms in Turkey opened the way for Kurdish broadcasts. Ozic stressed that the statement by RTUK did not mention that the content of the program carried an element of crime.

Ozic is standing trial for airing the program and is facing up to six months in prison. Ozic said they had appealed to cancel the RTUK decision. The court has decided to wait for the outcome of the appeal, according to Ozic.

Radio Dunya had received a warning from RTUK for airing Kurdish songs. The radio had opened a case at an Ankara court demanding that the radio and television watchdog withdraws its warning. The court had concluded that "playing Kurdish songs on a Turkish radio station did not violate the principle that radio broadcasts should be in Turkish." (OG/NK/EA/NM)