RTÜK

Turkey’s Media Watchdog RTUK Fines Channel for Airing “The Normal Heart” and Gay Kiss

RTUK has issued a 13,600 TL (5,440 USD) fine to the Moviemax Premier channel that broadcasted the movie “The Normal Heart” about the HIV epidemic in 1980s.

Source: “RTÜK’ten “Normal Kalp” filmine ahlâksızlık cezası!”, (“Immorality penalty to the movie “Normal Heart” from RTUK”), kaosGL.org, 4 February 2015, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=18635

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) issued a 13.600 TL fine to Moviemax Premier channel broadcasting via Digiturk for featuring the Emmy awarded movie “The Normal Heart” using an “+18” smart sign and screening the film after 01:00 am.

The_Normal_Heart_film

RTUK: Media Sponsor of “public morality”!

RTUK’s expert report, which considers this movie as “damaging society’s sense of shame and forcing the limits of public morality”, contains the following statements:

“In the film, two men appear kissing lip to lip and nude. Clips of the love and sexual life of gay men, who are hardly accepted in the social living space, are displayed on screen and are considered cases of damaging society’s sense of shame and forcing the limits of public morality.”

Actors such as Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer star in the movie adapted from the play with the same name. The movie presents a campaign started against the HIV epidemic that didn’t attract any media attention initially since it was thought that it only affected gay men. The New York Times shared news concerning the epidemic in 1981 with the headline “Rare Cancer Seen In 41 Homosexuals“. The movie “The Normal Heart” draws attention to the fact that information unshared due to social prejudices prevents access to the right to health.

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Turkey’s Media Watchdog RTUK Fines “Lesbian Relationship” and “Strawberry Flavored Condoms”

RTUK issued fines to a TV channel for broadcasting a film containing a lesbian relationship, and two other channels for broadcasting nudity and a dialogue on a “strawberry flavored condom.”

Source: “RTÜK’ten “lezbiyen ilişki” ve “çilekli prezervatif” cezası!” (“RTUK (The Supreme Board of Radio and Television) Fines “Lesbian Relationship” and “Strawberry Flavored Condom”), kaosGL.org, 10 January 2015 http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=18466

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) fined each of the three channels an amount of 12,353 TL (approx 5370 USD) for “sexuality.”

RTUK asserted that the cause of the fine was the appearance of a lesbian relationship in the movie “Illegal in Blue” broadcast on Channel MGM: “It is identified that the sexual intercourse which [was shown] is defined as a lesbian relationship between two women. It was established that the movie violates the article that states “broadcasts must not be obscene.”

“Strawberry flavored condom” is cause for punishment!

According to RTUK, another reason for the fines is a dialog on “strawberry flavored condom.” A fine has been issued to the TV series “Ah Biz Kadınlar” (“Oh Us Women”) broadcast on TV 2 on account of the fact that, “In dialogues, strawberry flavored condoms are mentioned. The messages which are given on TV during the hours when children are watching must be selected carefully.”

The movie “Crossing Over” broadcast on Moviemax Premier had its share on the grounds that: “Two naked characters are having a conversation in bed. The scenes identified include  an appearance of a woman’s sexual organs and make them a focus and agitate feelings of shame and shyness [in the wider community].”

RTUK fines Show TV for ‘promoting homosexuality’ with the music video of Shakira and Rihanna

Önder Yılmaz, “RTÜK’ten Shakira ve Rihanna’nın Klibine ‘Eşcinselliği Teşvik’ Cezası,” (“RTUK fines ShowTV for ‘promoting homosexuality’ in the music video of Shakira and Rihanna”) Milliyet, 01 March 2014, http://onedio.com/haber/rtuk-ten-escinsellige-tesvik-cezasi-260531

In its last meeting, RTUK (The Supreme Board of Radio and Television) has taken up the report concerning the music video of Shakira and Rihanna filmed for the song “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” which has had a great impact worldwide.

Pointing to the repeated playing of this music video by TV channel ShowTV, the report stated;

“In the music video, Shakira is shown on a bed, frequently placing her hands in the crotch area;  two female singers are in the same bed, in a half-naked manner, with extremely skimpy dresses, twerking with rhythmic moves inside the bed. Shakira and Rihanna are showing improper images by rubbing their backs and hips against the wall.”

“It promotes homosexuality!”

 The report referred to a previous statement by a member of parliament in Bogota that the video damages the moral character of Colombia and Latin America youth by promoting the lesbianism. The report stated that “in the aforementioned music video, it has been remarked that some scenes are reminiscent of homosexuality; that this situation is not something innate, but that it is possible to acquire afterwards by imitating role-models.”

The report stated:

“The video under investigation has been broadcast (repeatedly) during hours when children and young people are awake. It has been found that it includes harmful material, that it is harmful to the physical, psychological, and moral development of this audience, and that it incorporates components that are reminiscent of homosexuality and contain the wrong message.”

The Higher Commission has fined Show TV 1% of its January advertisement revenue.

The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) Issues Fines to Music Videos by Teoman and Demir Demirkan!

Source: “RTÜK’ten Teoman ve Demir Demirkan kliplerine ceza!,” (“The Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) Issues Fines to Music Videos by Teoman and Demir Demirkan!”) Radikal, 03 February 2014, http://www.radikal.com.tr/hayat/rtukten_teoman_ve_demir_demirkan_kliplerine_ceza-1173918

RTÜK pronounced Teoman’s music video “Dancing Alone” (Tek Başına Dans) as “voluptuous” and Demir Demirkan’s video “Beyond Love’”(Aşktan Öte) as “erotic.” Two TV channels which broadcasted the clips were given warning fines.

In the meeting of RTÜK, Teoman’s music video  aired on 21 November 2013 on Güney TV, which broadcasts from Tarsus. According to the RTÜK report, “The video clip consists of voluptuous images in which women working in strip-tease clubs play tricks to seduce men. Women are doing a strip-tease with underwear and erotic wear, which reduces the human body to an instrument of sexual incitement.”

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