Turkish authorities raid TV channel as press freedom groups warn of a crackdown

Press freedom groups and opposition parties denounced the move against Halk TV, calling it yet another step by the government to silence opposition voices.

Authorities on Wednesday raided the headquarters of one of Turkey’s few broadcasters not aligned with the government, and appointed a trustee manager to oversee the popular news channel as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.

A statement from the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office said an investigation was launched into Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroglu over allegations of bid rigging, bribery and money laundering. (AFP)

Press freedom groups and opposition parties denounced the move against Halk TV, calling it yet another step by the government to silence opposition voices.

Press freedoms in Turkey have steadily eroded during the more than two decades that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power, and a majority of media outlets are either under government control or aligned with it. The country ranks 163rd out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ world press freedom index.

A statement from the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office said an investigation was launched into Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroglu over allegations of bid rigging, bribery and money laundering.

Detention warrants were issued against 17 suspects and 11 of them were taken into custody, the statement said. Trustees were also appointed to run other companies owned by Mahiroglu.

The channel’s broadcasts were temporarily halted. Police surrounded the station’s headquarters while financial crimes investigation teams conducted searches inside, media reports said.

The raid on the channel came as Istanbul's imprisoned mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was due to appear in court to defend himself against allegations of widespread corruption in a case that critics also see as a politically motivated move against the opposition.

Imamoglu, who has been behind bars for more than a year, was considered the main challenger to Erdogan. Halk TV has reported extensively on the trial and other cases against Imamoglu.

In a video message posted on X, Mahiroglu condemned the appointment of a trustee for the channel, calling it a politically motivated move and a “dark day for Turkey.” Mahiroglu, who lives abroad, denied the allegations against him as “baseless” and said seven of his relatives were detained.

The Ankara-based Contemporary Journalists Association decried the action against the channel.

“The appointment of a trustee to Halk TV and the suspension of its broadcast constitute a grave intervention against press freedom and freedom of expression,” the group said. “This decision, which disregards constitutional rights and the public’s right to access information, is unacceptable.”

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the main opposition New Party, said the raid amounted to an abuse of power by the government.

“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.”

Amnesty International urged Turkish authorities to "immediately restore Halk TV’s independent operations and end their attacks on media freedom.”

Other television stations, including HaberTurk and Tele1, have similarly been placed under trusteeship.

Last week, two journalists were arrested, and two others were placed under house arrest for alleged misleading reports on a recent Turkish investment fund scandal — which has implicated a senior figure from Erdogan’s ruling party.

On Monday, international and Turkish human rights groups urged social media platforms, including X, to resist court orders blocking hundreds of accounts belonging to journalists and activists. They also called on the Turkish government to stop issuing orders to block the accounts.

The government has cited public safety concerns to justify the restrictions.