Police swooped on high-profile Kurds across Belgium today as part of a European probe into elements within the independence-seeking minority, as Turkish sources cited 15 arrests including ex-lawmakers. The raids followed an announcement by French authorities yesterday that nine Kurds were charged with terror offences following their arrest last week for allegedly recruiting fighters for the armed PKK separatist group.
French-language public broadcaster RTBF said some 300 officers descended on Brussels, Antwerp and other Belgian cities, including at the offices of Kurdish international TV station Roj TV in the northern city of Denderleeuw. An AFP correspondent in Diyarbakir, the largest city of the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey where Roj TV is widely watched, also said that the channel’s broadcast was cut today.
(Source: AFP)
Andy Sennitt adds: The website of Roj TV was also unreachable as of 1300 UTC.
on Mar 4th, 2010 at 14:17
I just checked 11530 kHz: No signal. However, this is an observation from within a local noise floor, so it needs to be made sure if the transmitter is really off. If so the shortwave transmission could be officially cancelled, since transmitter operators in the CIS usually leave the silent carrier on air when loosing modulation.
For explanation: 11530 kHz would be Denge Mezopotamya, the radio station of Roj TV, using a transmitter in the Ukraine. The “offices” in Denderleeuw are in fact the studios, so it’s no surprise that the transmissions apparently ceased.
Somebody could check out the BSS mux (11.843 GHz v) on Eurobird 9A for the Roj TV and Denge Mezopotamya signals. Just silent and black image, test card or removed?
on Mar 4th, 2010 at 20:24
I thought the station was leasing the transmitters from Pridnestrovye. I guess I was wrong. 7540 is not heard right now, either. No silent carrier. The The Voice of Mesopotamia used to provide a good signal on both frequencies.
on Mar 14th, 2010 at 09:15
The station is back on the air on 11530. It carries non-stop music and 10 min. news bulletins on the hour. Sounds like a make shift studio to me.
on Mar 14th, 2010 at 12:27
TV channel appears to be back too (webstream is anyway)