Turkish prosecutors yesterday opened a criminal probe into a popular television talk show on suspicion it broadcast “terrorist propaganda” when a caller from southeast Turkey raised alarm over the human cost of the relentless military crackdown on Kurdish rebels.
Istanbul prosecutors said in a statement they would examine the recording of the Friday night edition of the Beyaz Show on Kanal D and would also investigate the programme’s producer and presenter.
The controversy has erupted as the military presses on with its campaign against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdish-majority southeast, which the government says is aimed at flushing out militants but activists claim has killed dozens of civilians.
The female caller, who said she was a teacher named Ayse Celik from the Kurdish-dominated city of Diyarbakir, urged people to speak out against what she said was the killing of “unborn babies, children and mothers.”
“Are you aware of what is happening in the east of Turkey?” she asked.
“People are fighting hunger and thirst, in particular the children. Please be sensitive and do not remain silent,” she said.
Pro-government Twitter users expressed outrage over the comments on the channel which is owned by the Dogan Group, one of Turkey’s biggest conglomerates with substantial media interests also including the Hurriyet daily and CNN-Turk channel.
Kanal D subsequently issued a statement saying it “always stood with the state against terrorism” and was “deeply saddened” by the “provocation”.
Turkish media reports said Diyarbakir prosecutors had also opened an investigation into the “supposed teacher A C” on suspicion of making “terrorist propaganda” for the PKK.
The education ministry said there were only three teachers working in Diyarbakir named Ayse - a very common name in Turkey - and none of them appeared to be the person who had called the show.
The controversy has highlighted the deep polarisation in Turkish society over the military operation, which is seen by supporters as a patriotic duty but by opponents as a crime.
Pro-Kurdish activists strongly defended the woman, coining a trending Twitter Turkish hashtag #Ayseogretmenyalnizdegildir meaning “Ayse the teacher you are not alone.”
The leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas strongly backed the producers and the caller, saying all she had done was to “give a message of peace”.
And then he said the “mechanisms of the state get set into motion, the programme makers get lynched and this women is pursued.”
The show’s star anchorman Beyazit Ozturk appeared taken aback by the intensity of Ayse Celik’s comments during the live show, nodding in agreement as some in the audience applauded while others whistled. He then repeatedly thanked her and praised her contribution.
Speaking to Kanal D’s main news show, Ozturk, a fixture on Turkish television for the last two decades, apologised and strove to make clear his Turkish patriotism.
“For years, my attitude has been clear. I am committed to the homeland, the people and the flag. This was how I was brought up ... I’m the son of a policeman. I’m sorry.”
“My biggest mistake was that I lost concentration,” he added. “I love my job and want to continue working at Kanal D.”