Turkish Authorities Raid Independent TV Channel, Appoint Trustee
Press freedom advocates decry the move against Halk TV as an escalation of government efforts to silence opposition voices.
ISTANBUL – Turkish authorities on Wednesday raided the headquarters of Halk TV, one of the country's few broadcasters not aligned with the government, and appointed a trustee manager to oversee its operations as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.
Press freedom groups and opposition parties condemned the action, viewing it as another move by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government to suppress dissenting voices. Turkey's press freedom has significantly eroded during Erdogan's more than two decades in power, with a majority of media outlets now under government control or aligned with it. The country ranks 163rd out of 180 nations on the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index.
The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office stated that an investigation has been launched into Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroglu on suspicion of bid rigging, bribery, and money laundering. According to the office, detention warrants were issued for 17 suspects, and 11 were taken into custody. Trustees were also appointed to manage other companies owned by Mahiroglu.
Broadcasts from Halk TV were temporarily suspended following the raid. Media reports indicated that police surrounded the station's headquarters while financial crimes investigation teams conducted searches inside.
Mahiroglu, who resides abroad, denounced the appointment of a trustee in a video message posted on X, labeling it a politically motivated action and a "dark day for Turkey." He asserted that the allegations against him were "baseless" and reported that seven of his relatives had been detained.
The Ankara-based Contemporary Journalists Association criticized the action, stating that the appointment of a trustee and the suspension of broadcasts constitute a "grave intervention against press freedom and freedom of expression." The group added that the decision disregards constitutional rights and the public's right to access information, deeming it unacceptable.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition New Party, described the raid as an abuse of government power. "Raiding a television channel at dawn and appointing a trustee is an act only dictators would commit," he wrote on X. "Unfortunately, this is the state to which they have reduced our country."
Other television stations, including HaberTurk and Tele1, have previously been placed under trusteeship. Last week, two journalists were arrested and two others were placed under house arrest for alleged misleading reports concerning a recent Turkish investment fund scandal that implicated a senior figure from Erdogan’s ruling party.
On Monday, international and Turkish human rights organizations urged social media platforms, including X, to resist court orders that block accounts belonging to journalists and activists. They also called on the Turkish government to cease issuing such blocking orders, with the government citing public safety concerns as justification for these restrictions.