RTÜK President Şahin: ‘Şakir Paşa Ailesi’ series halted

In a statement regarding the matter, RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin said, "Following the heavy sanctions imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council during its last meeting due to scenes contrary to the nation's national and moral values, general morality, and the protection of the family, the Istanbul 10th Civil Court of First Instance has decided to halt the broadcast of existing episodes and the filming of new episodes of the series ‘Şakir Paşa Ailesi: Mucizeler ve Skandallar’, which airs on NOW TV.

Following the decision taken by the Istanbul 10th Civil Court of First Instance regarding the series, it has been deemed necessary to make the following statement. As is known, honor and dignity are personal values possessed by every individual in social life. Attacks on the honor and dignity of individuals can sometimes occur through writing and sometimes through behavior.

Laws have imposed a significant responsibility on our institution in cases where such verbal and written attacks targeting the honor and dignity of individuals occur through radio and television broadcasts. It should be noted that, especially in television broadcasts, the presence of both speech and imagery together further increases the impact of an attack on dignity.

Due to the high probability of recurrence of personality rights violations occurring through radio and television broadcasts, it is known that a presumption has formed in legal doctrine that the effects will continue even if the attack has ended.

In this context, Article 6 of Law No. 6112 on the 'Establishment and Broadcasting Services of Radio and Television', titled 'Independence and responsibility of the media service provider', contains the provision: 'The content of broadcasting services cannot be interfered with in advance, and the content of broadcasts cannot be audited in advance.'

Furthermore, Article 138 of the Constitution, titled 'Independence of the Courts', contains the provision: 'Legislative and executive organs and the administration are obliged to comply with court decisions; these organs and the administration cannot change court decisions in any way and cannot delay their execution.'

The implementation of procedures by our Supreme Council's Monitoring and Evaluation Department in accordance with the aforementioned court decision is a constitutional necessity in terms of the hierarchy of norms, and in the event of a violation, the relevant matter will be evaluated within the scope of the broadcasting service principles regulated in Article 8 of Law No. 6112."

News Source: 12punto