Turkish police raided the headquarters of opposition broadcaster Halk TV, halting live broadcasts and detaining 11 people. Authorities appointed a government trustee to manage the channel amid an investigation into its chairman.
Turkish police raided the headquarters of Halk TV, a prominent pro-opposition news channel, in Istanbul early Wednesday, halting its live broadcasts and detaining 11 people. The operation, carried out by financial crimes police, resulted in the appointment of a government-appointed trustee to oversee the channel's operations.
According to a statement from the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul, the raid was part of an investigation into Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu. Prosecutors stated that Mahiroğlu was under investigation for "bribery, collusion tendering, and laundering criminally obtained assets." An arrest warrant was issued for Mahiroğlu and 16 other suspects, with 11 individuals taken into custody.
Mahiroğlu, who resides abroad, was not among those detained. He rejected the allegations as baseless and criticized the authorities for using the judiciary as a weapon. "Today is a dark day for Turkey," Mahiroğlu said in a video message shared on social media. "The public's right to information is being seized for political reasons."
The prosecutor's office confirmed that companies co-owned or managed by Mahiroğlu were seized by court order. Halk TV reported that its employees were initially barred from entering the building, though some were later allowed in. The channel's news feed and YouTube live streams went offline during the raid.
The raid occurred hours before jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was scheduled to begin his defense in a corruption trial. The Istanbul Bar Association and various opposition figures linked the timing of the raid to this legal proceeding.
Özgür Özel, leader of the opposition New Party (Yeni Parti), condemned the action. "Storming a TV channel with a police raid at dawn and appointing a trustee is something only dictators do," Özel wrote on social media. He described the move as "weak and cowardly," arguing that it was intended to silence dissent during a significant political trial.
The Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS) also denounced the raid, stating, "In recent years, the lawlessness used by the political authorities to overcome every problem has once again struck freedom of the press today... We do not accept this tyranny!"
International press freedom organizations criticized the takeover. Esther Major, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Europe, called the raid "a brutal blow to media freedom" and a "direct assault on the right to freedom of expression." She urged Turkish authorities to "immediately restore Halk TV’s independent operations."
Özgür Öğret, the Turkey representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), stated, "Seizing Halk TV strikes at the heart of press freedom in Turkey where the vast majority of news outlets are pro-government." CPJ noted that Halk TV is one of the few remaining broadcasters critical of the government.
Turkey ranked 163rd out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2026 World Press Freedom Index. The RSF stated that 90% of national media outlets were under government control. This incident follows the October 2025 seizure of another pro-opposition channel, Tele1, and the recent blocking of the digital news site T24.
The seizure of Halk TV marks a significant escalation in the Turkish government's control over the media landscape. By appointing a trustee and halting broadcasts of one of the few remaining critical voices, authorities have effectively removed a major platform for opposition coverage. This action raises serious concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the state of press freedom in Turkey, particularly as it coincides with high-profile political trials. The move underscores the shrinking space for independent journalism in the country, where most media outlets are now aligned with the ruling party.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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