AHEPA chief sends letter to Netflix over decision to restrict ‘Famagusta’ after Turkish pressure

AHEPA Supreme President Savas C. Tsivicos sent an open letter on Monday to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos regarding the streaming giant’s decision to restrict the broadcasting of the “Famagusta” TV series outside Greece, following pressure from Turkish authorities.

“Famagusta” is a Greek-Cypriot production about the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Tsivicos expressed his concern over the announcement by the Turkish Radio and TV Supreme Council (RTUK) that it had managed to restrict the broadcasting of the series outside Greece.

“We are alarmed by press reports that cite the Turkish Radio and TV Supreme Council’s (RTUK) announcement that Netflix will not broadcast ‘Famagusta’ outside of Greece, due to pressure applied to Netflix by RTUK,” he stated.

While the AHEPA chief acknowledged that Netflix is obliged to comply with censorship laws in each country, he emphasized that Turkey should not dictate what is available on a global scale.

“If Netflix wishes to comply with RTUK’s demand to pull ‘Famagusta’ in Turkey only – as Netflix has with previous RTUK’s demands – as well as other countries’ demands – so be it. However, Turkey has absolutely no credibility or standing in the world to dictate what a global Netflix audience can or should watch. It’s simply unacceptable,” said Tsivicos. 

Tsivicos added that, by yielding to Turkish demands, “Netflix is complicit in Turkey’s downward spiral toward even further authoritarianism and amplifying its pro-government disinformation about its brutal illegal invasion of the Republic the Cyprus 50 years ago that ‘Famagusta’ promises to do justice in remembrance.”