TD 1, 2006 - Televiziya Kanalı

This folder contains the complete television reports and interviews recorded in Berlin, in 2006 by TD1, a Turkish-language television channel that had been broadcasting in Germany for approximately twenty years. For two consecutive days, the channel dedicated its programming to Rustem’s case, presenting a documentary-style interview covering events from 1998 onward, including alleged human rights violations, imprisonment, parliamentary interventions, political developments, and personal testimony. The interview also covered the 1999 prison uprising involving approximately 480 inmates, which Rustem described as having been organized under his leadership, together with the subsequent parliamentary response. During the interview, the presenter, Elif İnci, openly remarked that she felt as though she was watching a film rather than conducting a television interview. She explained that, unlike her usual interviewing style in which she frequently interrupts to ask questions, she found herself simply listening because the sequence of events was so extraordinary that it was difficult to believe they had actually occurred. This statement remains part of the original broadcast. At the conclusion of the interview, Rustem asked the presenter whether she would broadcast a statement if he was prepared to fully stand behind it. After receiving her confirmation, he made the following declaration: “Whatever Germany has done to me, I will not do the same to them, because I am not a fascist.” This statement later became one of the channel’s promotional quotations and was repeatedly used in TD1’s on-air promotional broadcasts for approximately one year. TD1 encountered significant operational and financial difficulties during the following period and eventually ceased broadcasting in 2007. These recordings are preserved as part of the historical media archive documenting an important chapter in the public discussion of human rights, justice, and democratic values in Germany.