AKP Watch

AKP Watch September 23rd, 2007

AK Party Opposition TV channel Kanalturk is once again targeted by the Islamist AK Party government. The channel have been shut down for six days as a penalty for Kanalturk’s broadcasts prior to July 22 general elections. The justification for the punishment was that while Kanalturk presented news about opposition parties in an objective manner, it discriminated against the ruling AKP by broadcasting PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s previous political statements and by doing so harmed his image.

Erdoğan would probably break a Guinness World Record, since he is most likely the world’s first and probably the last leader who believes his very own statements in the past is damaging his reputation and going to court for preventing the broadcast of his own speeches.

 Erasing the Past

Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to erase his past as a radical islamist by pressuring media companies to not broadcast his previous speeches.  As a part of new image building strategy, AK Party has zero tolerance those who exposing their past. Earlier journalist Sezai Şengün of Daily Star Newspaper, fined approx. $10,000 for publishing Erdoğan’s photos with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a designated terrorist by US State department, who has participated in and supported terrorist acts committed by al-Qa’ida and the Taliban.

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Censorist Molla

The suspension decision made by minister of censorship Islamist Zahid Akman, who earlier appointed by Erdoğan to head of RTUK (Islamic High Board of Radio and Television). Akman (aka Molla) is a controversial figure in Turkish media, once described as “Censorist Molla” by Serdar Turgut, the editor-in-chief of widely circulated Turkish daily Aksam, pointing out his jihadist past as a islamist sect (tarikat) member and his loyality (biat) to his former sect. Akman has a pivotal role in AK Party’s strategy to surpress opposition by abusing RTUK’s unlimited powers which even include a permanent suspension. Akman frequently inviting media executives to RTUK to attend mandatory Nazi style briefings to adjust their broadcasting policy according to AK Party terms. 

Prior to RTUK, Akman was an executive in Kanal 7, an islamist TV Channel founded by former Walfare Party which was a precursor to AK Party. Kanal 7 and their non-profit charity organisation Deniz Feneri under money laundering and terror finance investigation by German Authorities and most of Kanal 7 executives currently under arrest in Germany. (Source: Evrensel in German and Hurriyet in Turkish)

Akman previously prevented TV Channels to air the movies Brokeback Mountain and Valley of the Wolves (Kurtlar Vadisi).

• AK Party , AKP , Censorship , Erdogan , Free Speech , Freedom of Press , Islamofascism , KanalTurk , Opposition , RTUK , Turkey , Zahid Akman
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