Broadcast of Halk TV, which criticized Erdoğan, suspended in Turkey
In Turkey, the editorial office of the opposition-leaning Halk TV channel was searched, its broadcasting was temporarily suspended, and the channel was placed under external management. The prosecutor's office linked these measures to a criminal case against the head of the TV channel, while he himself denied the allegations and explained the event as politically motivated.
Broadcast of Halk TV, Which Criticized Erdoğan, Suspended in Turkey
According to DW, Halk TV reported that officers from the units for combating terrorism, organized crime, and economic crimes entered the editorial office on the morning of October 14.
The TV channel's journalists stated that police began a search in the building, and employees were not allowed to enter their workplaces.
The government appointed the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey as a temporary administrator for Halk TV. Control over the TV channel's broadcast will also pass to this structure.
According to AP agency, the prosecutor's office announced that the searches were being conducted as part of a case against the head of the TV channel, Cafer Mahiroğlu. He is suspected of bribery, tender fraud, and money laundering.
Arrest warrants were issued for 17 people in connection with the case. At the time the news was published, 11 of them had been detained.
Mahiroğlu, who is outside Turkey, called the allegations "baseless." He linked the search at the editorial office and the transfer of the TV channel to external management to political motives. He also stated that seven of his relatives were detained as well.
The dpa agency noted that Halk TV is considered close to the opposition Republican People's Party and has regularly criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party.
A year ago, another opposition TV channel in Turkey, Tele1, was also temporarily placed under external management. Its editor-in-chief, Merdan Yanardağ, was imprisoned on espionage charges, and control of the TV channel was transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund.