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.
The country ranks 163rd out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ world press freedom index.
Police surrounded the station’s headquarters while financial crimes investigation teams conducted searches inside, media reports said. 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 channel’s broadcasts were temporarily halted. They also called on the Turkish government to stop issuing orders to block the accounts.
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.
Detention warrants were issued against 17 suspects and 11 of them were taken into custody, the statement said. 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. Trustees were also appointed to run other companies owned by Mahiroglu.
