Danish authorities first filed charges against Roj TV in 2010 after a five-year investigation into its broadcasts, alleging it supported the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which figures on terrorist organisation lists in Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

On the first day of the trial at Copenhagen City Court, Roj TV defence attorney Bjoern Elmquist demanded that the case be thrown out, claiming the charges against his client were too vague, the Ritzau news agency reported.

The charge "says nothing about when crimes were committed, and it is also not clear what Roj TV is supposed to have done," the lawyer argued.

The court did not agree, ruling Monday the case would continue.

A court official told AFP the trial could last as long as 25 days, given the extensive list of witnesses called by both the prosecution and defence.

Monday's trial began 10 months after the Copenhagen City Court lifted a freeze on 10 bank accounts connected to Roj TV.

Prosecutors had claimed it was necessary to freeze the assets to ensure Roj TV could pay a fine if found guilty, but the broadcaster convinced an appeals court that violation of its freedom of speech could not be justified by the need to secure court costs and fines.

A small group of demonstrators gathered outside the court Monday, carrying banners stating that "Kurds should also enjoy freedom of speech."

Others asked, "Why should Roj TV pay for Anders Fogh (Rasmussen's) NATO job?", referring to information published by whistleblower website WikiLeaks that Turkey threatened to veto the former Danish premier's bid for the top NATO post if Denmark did not close down the Kurdish broadcaster.

Before Roj TV began broadcasting from Denmark in 2004, Britain shut down its predecessor Med-TV in 1999, while France banned Medya-TV in 2004.

Turkish English-language daily Zaman claimed in its online edition Monday that if Roj TV lost the case and was banned, the broadcaster planned to move its activities to Sweden.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms in the Kurdish-majority southeast of Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives.