Swedish television station, TV4, received a letter from the Turkish embassy in Stockholm urging them not to air “Seyfo 1915 –The Assyrian Genocide”. Seyfo is the Assyrian term for the mass exterminations of the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek minorities which took place in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The film was set to air for April 24th, the 101st anniversary of the Genocide but was met with great opposition from the Turkish embassy. According to TV4, Turkish embassy press officer, Arif Gulen, sent the media outlet an email asking that the film not be aired. Citing the use of the term “genocide” and the films allegedly one-sided content, Gulen asked the Swedish television station to “reconsider” airing it as it “’will fail to serve the principle of objectivity”’.
Sweden, which holds freedom of expression as a core value of free, democratic society, did not take the request lightly. TV4’s program director, Viveka Hansson responded to the Turkish request in a letter posted to TV4’s website; “We can never accept this. We will protest against any attempt to exert pressure that threatens freedom of expression”. Despite Turkish attempts, the station aired the film on Sunday.
Hansson continued, “the message’s polite tone should not deceive the public, pointing out that while ‘the email is polite, the message cannot be mistaken”’. Chairman of the Swedish Left Party, MP Jonas Sjöstedt shared similar sentiments with Hansson. Sweden will not tolerate attempts to undermine its foundational rights. “’It is unacceptable that the country [Turkey] is seeking to silence media in Sweden and it [the government] must take a hard stance against such actions’”. Erdogan’s tight-grip on information is limited to Turkish borders; the rest of the world can choose whether or not to live in the dark.
Moreover, this is far from the first attempt Turkey has made at censoring the international community. Erdogan has gone after the European Union funded art project Aghet which will be performed by the Dresden Symphony Orchestra. The musical performance whose name translates to “catastrophe” is based on the events of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, was released for the Genocide centennial last year. The performance is set to begin touring on April 29th of this year in Belgrade, Yerevan, and Istanbul, sparking protest from Turkish authorities. Sponsored by the EU, the project is part of a trilogy depicting the cultural and historical experiences of the South Caucasus region. Additionally, Aghet is a reconciliation project. The musicians collaborating on the performance are of Armenian, Turkish, and German descent joined by the “No Borders Orchestra”, another reconciliation project itself comprised of musicians from the former Yugoslav states. Guitarist Helmut Oehring of Armenian, Turkish, and German heritage describes the aim of his composition; “the score is meant to depict a force field that transforms the injuries and devastation suffered into a new energy, a kind of emotional reserve for those who come afterwards”.
Still vehemently opposed to acknowledging historical realities, Erdogan attempted to bully the EU into withdrawing €200,000 worth of funding to the project and cease its support all together. While the project will continue as planned and EU funding remaining intact, the EU Commission has removed advertisements of the performance on its websites and claims to be reformulating the controversial wording. According to various sources, Markus Rindt, the director of the Dresden Symphony Orchestra, called Turkish actions “an infringement on freedom of expression”. Mr. Rindt continued, “you have to call it what it was, we cannot quibble when it comes to genocide.”
