RÚV has rejected demands from the owners of Sjanghæ Restaurant in Akureyri to remove an article from its website, issue a formal written apology to the restaurant, and pay compensation of ISK 3 million ($25,656/€ 22,536). This was confirmed by the national broadcaster’s director Margrét Magnúsdóttir on Friday.
Rosita Yufan Zhang, the primary owner of the restaurant Sjanghæ (an Icelandicisation of “Shanghai”), issued her demands in response to an article published by RÚV on August 30, 2017. The article stated that the owners were suspected of human trafficking, that employees were being paid a monthly salary of ISK 30,000 ($257/€225), and that their food consisted of leftovers from the restaurant. The article also mentioned that the Eining-Iðja union was looking into the matter and had been talking to restaurant employees.
The letter that a lawyer sent to RÚV on behalf of Rosita and the private limited company Life Iceland demanded that the news organisation publish an apology on its website before noon on Friday, remove the original article, and pay the requested compensation. Should these demands not be met, the letter stated, the owners reserved the right to take further legal action.
