The Turkish government took control of the Halk TV television network, one of the few major television networks not affiliated with the state, on Wednesday (October 11, 2023). This action is part of a broader crackdown on independent media and dissenters.
Analysis of the situation
In this action, Istanbul police and a government-appointed supervisor raided the network's headquarters in Istanbul and took control of it. The live broadcast of Halk TV was abruptly cut off and replaced with an old Turkish film.
The Istanbul Prosecutor's Office announced that this seizure was due to investigations into allegations of bribery, money laundering, and other financial crimes. In this context, arrest warrants were issued for 17 individuals, including Caffer Mahiroglu, the head of Halk TV. Eleven of these individuals were arrested during the raids on Wednesday.
Reactions to the seizure of Halk TV
Mahiroglu, who lives in the UK, denied the allegations, and government critics and press freedom groups have described this action as part of a broader attack on civil society and dissenters. Halk TV is known as a news network supportive of the opposition and one of the most-watched news channels in Turkey.
Opposition politicians and human rights groups have linked this action to a recent scandal involving investment funds that has been controversial in Turkey since September. This action also coincided with the start of the defense of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, in a corruption trial.
Özgür Özel, the head of the New Party (Yeni Party) and the largest opposition party in Turkey, said in an interview: "Let’s silence them so that the investment fund scandal is not discussed. Let’s silence them so that İmamoğlu's defense is not heard."
İmamoğlu has been in prison since March 2025 due to corruption allegations. Government critics believe these allegations are aimed at weakening a key rival of Erdoğan and undermining the opposition. Since the historic victory of the opposition in the 2024 local elections, hundreds of elected opposition officials have been imprisoned.
Additionally, other opposition parties have condemned the seizure of Halk TV and described it as an attack on press freedom. This scandal has affected 455,758 individual investors in 131 funds with assets of nearly $18 billion.
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