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A Turkish radio station has been forced to close a month before its 30th anniversary after making statements deemed unacceptable by the country’s broadcasting authority.
Acik Radyo (Open Radio), an independent station based in Istanbul, ceased broadcasting on Oct.16 after the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) revoked its terrestrial license. The station, collectively owned by hundreds of shareholders, was known for covering social, cultural and political issues.
RTUK revoked Acik Radyo’s license following a broadcast on April 24, when a guest on the station’s news program Acik Gazete used the term “Armenian genocide,” which refers to the systematic killing of around 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. While historians recognize the events as genocide, Turkey denies the killings were systematic and rejects the use of the term.
The council issued a fine of over €5,000 and suspended the program for five days, accusing the station of inciting public hostility. Although Acik Radyo paid the fine and appealed the suspension, the Ankara 21st Administrative Court rejected the appeal, allowing RTUK to revoke the license on July 3.
In a statement on Oct. 11, Acik Radyo confirmed it had received official notice of the license cancellation and vowed to continue its legal challenge. The station argued the ruling was an attempt to silence independent media, calling it “an effort to stifle public voices.”
“With its 30th broadcasting anniversary only a month away, this news is the latest blow to freedom of speech and media in Turkey,” Acik Radyo said in a written statement on Oct. 16.
Station founder Omer Mardra addressed listeners during the station’s final broadcast, saying, “This is not the end of Acik Radyo; we will pursue all legal avenues to return to the air.”
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