In the early hours of Tuesday 23 April, Belgian police raided the offices of Kurdish television stations, StêrkTV and Medya Haber (Medya News) in Denderleeuw (East Flanders). The police arrested the guard, broke down studio doors, confiscated computers and technical equipment, cut broadcast cables and ransacked certain equipment, preventing the broadcast of the two channels’ broadcasts as part of an investigation into the ” financing of terrorism” carried out by the French national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT).

Samuel Cogolati, Belgian deputy of the Federal Parliament within the Ecolo-Groen group, said he is “worried about potential attacks on press freedom and the freedom of expression of these Kurdish media” and submitted three questions to the Belgian Minister of Justice on the extremely brutal police raids.

Samuel Cogolati’s questions addressed to the Belgian Minister of Justice are as follows:

“Minister,

1. Could you first formally exclude that the Belgian Police / Justice acted under orders (direct or indirect) from the Erdoğan regime in Turkey? Under what orders were the Belgian police acting? Indeed, given the persecution of Kurds in Turkey, it would be incomprehensible that our Belgian judicial system allowed itself to be directed by the Erdoğan regime, even indirectly via the orders of a public prosecutor’s office or investigating judge in a country like France.

2. Since these are two media outlets, could you explain how Belgian justice protects the freedom of the press of Kurdish channels, even when they hinder the interests of foreign regimes like Turkey? Were the media still functional on 23 April? If not, what justifies this attack on press freedom?

3. Were complaints filed about police violence during these searches? Can you indeed confirm that the technical and electronic installations of the Kurdish media were damaged during the searches? If yes, for what reason?”