Latest news with #HalkTV
DW
3 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Turkey: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu hit with jail term – DW – 07/16/2025
Turkish opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, is already in pre-trial detention on separate charges, but has now been hit with a prison sentence for insulting Istanbul's chief prosecutor. The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was on Wednesday handed a prison sentence for insulting a prosecutor, according to Turkish state media. Imamoglu, the main political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in jail pending trial since March on separate corruption charges. He has now been sentenced to a year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Under Turkish law, prison terms of this length do not typically result in incarceration, but Imamoglu remains in pre-trial detention on other charges. The case stems from remarks Imamoglu made after a raid on the home of a youth leader from his opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), when he said Istanbul's chief prosecutor, Akin Gürlek, had a "rotten" mind. Imamoglu denies the charges against him and told broadcaster Halk TV and other Turkish media: "I've been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is indeed an insult against our nation." It's not the first time that Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials. In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticizing election board officials over a decision to cancel the 2019 Istanbul elections in which he defeated the candidate from President Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He has appealed that sentence but it has not yet been reviewed. If upheld, the conviction could prevent Imamoglu from participating in future elections. In March, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu's university diploma, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president. Since his arrest on March 19, Turkish opposition figures have come under increasing pressure, with dozens of CHP mayors dismissed or detained on allegations of corruption. The CHP denies corruption allegations and calls them a government attempt to remove electoral threats against Erdogan, a charge the government rejects. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
4 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Turkey: Istanbul mayor Imamoglu hit with new jail term – DW – 07/16/2025
Turkish opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, is already in pre-trial detention on separate charges, but has now been hit with an additional prison sentence. The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was on Wednesday handed an additional prison sentence, according to Turkish state media. Imamoglu, the main political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in jail pending trial since March on separate corruption charges. He has now been sentenced to another year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening the Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Under Turkish law, prison terms of this length do not typically result in incarceration, but Imamoglu remains in pre-trial detention on other charges. The case stems from remarks Imamoglu made after a raid on the home of a youth leader from his opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), when he said Istanbul's chief prosecutor, Akin Gürlek, had a "rotten" mind. Imamoglu denies the charges against him and told broadcaster Halk TV and other Turkish media: "I've been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is indeed an insult against our nation." It's not the first time that Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials. In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticizing election board officials over a decision to cancel the 2019 Istanbul elections in which he defeated the candidate from President Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He has appealed that sentence but it has not yet been reviewed. If upheld, the conviction could prevent Imamoglu from participating in future elections. In March, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu's university diploma, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president. Since his arrest on March 19, Turkish opposition figures have come under increasing pressure, with dozens of CHP mayors dismissed or detained on allegations of corruption. The CHP denies corruption allegations and calls them a government attempt to remove electoral threats against Erdogan, a charge the government rejects. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Turkey: Government silences last critical media outlets
AI generated image Turkey's freedom of expression and press freedom has been making headlines in Germany for years. The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders has ranked Turkey 159 out of 180 countries in its global press freedom index 2025. At the moment, officially "only" four people are in prison for their journalistic activities. While this marks a significant drop from a few years ago, the government is constantly finding new ways to suppress independent journalism. For example, passports of media professionals released from prison have been withheld so they are not able to leave the country. Foreign journalists are also unable to work freely in Turkey, as the arrest of Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin shows. According to estimates by reporters without borders and the international press institute (IPI), more than 95 per cent of Turkish media are considered to be close to the government. This means that they are either directly or indirectly run by business people loyal to the government. New wave of repression Observers report systematic interference in journalistic work. "The situation of media freedom in Turkey has been tense for 20 years," states Berk Esen, a political scientist at Sabanci university in Istanbul. The government's interventions have gradually worsened the situation. "The remaining mainstream broadcasters have been brought into line methodically over the past few years. What has remained is a handful of stations close to the opposition," says Esen. Now the political pressure has taken on a new form: Turkey's two largest TV stations critical of the government, Sözcü TV and Halk TV, will not be allowed to broadcast any programs for 10 days. The broadcasting ban came into force on Tuesday in accordance with a decision by the radio and television supreme council, or short, RTÜK. The decision was justified with the accusation of "incitement of the people". The ban of Halk TV is due to statements made by a studio guest on June 26. The guest had said: "Turkey is not becoming more religious, but more sectarian." In the case of Sözcü TV, RTÜK judged the live broadcast of the protests following the arrest of Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu as "incitement to hatred and hostility," according to observers. Imamoglu has been in custody since March and is considered the most important opposition politician and a promising rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The government intended to quickly weaken the opposition by arresting Imamoglu. That didn't work, Imamoglu has even become more popular with the government's opponents. That is why the government is changing its strategy and increasing the pressure on other areas," analyzes Esen. Criticism is no longer tolerated On Monday, one day before the ten-day broadcasting ban came into force, a court upheld the appeal by Halk TV's lawyers and suspended the enforcement for the time being. Nevertheless, the broadcasting bans are seen as a new escalation in the handling of press freedom. For the first time, two opposition broadcasters were silenced on the same day and for the same period of time. "With these punishments, RTÜK is trying to prevent the media from reporting on public affairs and suppress critical voices," the Turkish Journalists' Association, or TGC, stated. Also the deputy leader of the largest opposition party, Gökce Gökcen, expressed her outrage: "The broadcasting bans affect the very stations that have shown how unfounded the accusations against our local political representatives are. This is no coincidence. The fact that the [oppositional] Republican People's Party, or CHP, has become the strongest party in Turkey is being punished, and the press is being punished for reporting on it. In the end, the people themselves are being silenced." The CEO of Halk TV, Cafer Mahiroglu, warned that this step could be followed by the complete withdrawal of the broadcasting license. Also the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, wrote on X "I doubt even George Orwell could think of something like RTÜK! (...) Freedom of media speech are becoming a distant memory in Turkey. There is now a generation that never knew it and it's so sad." Increasing economic pressure The consequences of those bans are also serious in economic terms. Without advertising revenue, opposition broadcasters are basically unable to survive. "Media that report critically on the government are put under pressure with broadcasting bans and fines and weakened economically," the Turkish Journalists' Association said. According to the Media and Legal Studies Association (MLSA), RTÜK imposed fines totaling 124 million Turkish lira (around €4m at the exchange rate at the time) between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2024 and ordered broadcasts to be interrupted in 1357 cases. In the first half of 2023 alone, five opposition broadcasters were fined around 20 million Turkish lira (around €1.5 m at the time), while pro-government media remained virtually untouched. A critical phase for Turkey The TV bans hit Turkey at a politically tense time: the peace process with the PKK is causing controversy. Furthermore, numerous high-ranking oppositional CHP politicians are in custody. The former mayor of Izmir, Tunc Soyer, has been under arrest since the weekend. Turkey's third-largest city is considered a CHP stronghold and was previously one of the last major cities in which an opposition party had a majority. "The government currently wants to control rather than eliminate. Of course, this could change in the future," analyst Esen told DW, adding that despite the extremely tense situation, press freedom could continue to worsen. "We haven't hit rock bottom yet," he fears.
DW
09-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Turkey: Government silences last critical media outlets – DW – 07/09/2025
Over 95% of Turkish media are already considered pro-government. Now the regulatory authority has imposed a ten-day broadcasting ban on the two largest channels critical of the government. Turkey's freedom of expression and press freedom has been making headlines in Germany for years. The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders has ranked Turkey 159 out of 180 countries in its global press freedom index 2025. At the moment, officially "only" four people are in prison for their journalistic activities. While this marks a significant drop from a few years ago, the government is constantly finding new ways to suppress independent journalism. For example, passports of media professionals released from prison have been withheld so they are not able to leave the country. Foreign journalists are also unable to work freely in Turkey, as the arrest of Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin shows. According to estimates by Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute (IPI), more than 95% of Turkish media are considered to be close to the government. This means that they are either directly or indirectly run by businesspeople loyal to the government. Observers report systematic interference in journalistic work. "The situation of media freedom in Turkey has been tense for 20 years," states Berk Esen, a political scientist at Sabanci University in Istanbul. The government's interventions have gradually worsened the situation. "The remaining mainstream broadcasters have been brought into line methodically over the past few years. What has remained is a handful of stations close to the opposition," says Esen. Now the political pressure has taken on a new form: Turkey's two largest TV stations critical of the government, Sözcü TV and Halk TV, will not be allowed to broadcast any programs for 10 days. The broadcasting ban came into force on Tuesday in accordance with a decision by the Radio and Television Supreme Council, or short, RTÜK. The decision was justified with the accusation of "incitement of the people". The ban of Halk TV is due to statements made by a studio guest on June 26. The guest had said: "Turkey is not becoming more religious, but more sectarian." In the case of Sözcü TV, RTÜK judged the live broadcast of the protests following the arrest of Istanbulmayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu as "incitement to hatred and hostility," according to observers. Imamoglu has been in custody since March and is considered the most important opposition politician and a promising rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The government intended to quickly weaken the opposition by arresting Imamoglu. That didn't work, Imamoglu has even become more popular with the government's opponents. That is why the government is changing its strategy and increasing the pressure on other areas," analyzes Esen. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Monday, one day before the ten-day broadcasting ban came into force, a court upheld the appeal by Halk TV's lawyers and suspended the enforcement for the time being. Nevertheless, the broadcasting bans are seen as a new escalation in the handling of press freedom. For the first time, two opposition broadcasters were silenced on the same day and for the same period of time. "With these punishments, RTÜK is trying to prevent the media from reporting on public affairs and suppress critical voices," the Turkish Journalists' Association, or TGC, stated. Also the deputy leader of the largest opposition party, Gökce Gökcen, expressed her outrage: "The broadcasting bans affect the very stations that have shown how unfounded the accusations against our local political representatives are. This is no coincidence. The fact that the [oppositional] Republican People's Party, or CHP, has become the strongest party in Turkey is being punished, and the press is being punished for reporting on it. In the end, the people themselves are being silenced." The CEO of Halk TV, Cafer Mahiroglu, warned that this step could be followed by the complete withdrawal of the broadcasting the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, wrote on X "I doubt even George Orwell could think of something like RTÜK! (...) Freedom of media speech are becoming a distant memory in Turkey. There is now a generation that never knew it and it's so sad." The consequences of those bans are also serious in economic terms. Without advertising revenue, opposition broadcasters are basically unable to survive. "Media that report critically on the government are put under pressure with broadcasting bans and fines and weakened economically," the Turkish Journalists' Association said. According to the Media and Legal Studies Association (MLSA), RTÜK imposed fines totaling 124 million Turkish lira (around €4m at the exchange rate at the time) between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2024 and ordered broadcasts to be interrupted in 1357 cases. In the first half of 2023 alone, five opposition broadcasters were fined around 20 million Turkish lira (around €1.5 m at the time), while pro-government media remained virtually untouched. The TV bans hit Turkey at a politically tense time: the peace process with the PKK is causing controversy. Furthermore, numerous high-ranking oppositional CHP politicians are in custody. The former mayor of Izmir, Tunc Soyer, has been under arrest since the weekend. Turkey's third-largest city is considered a CHP stronghold and was previously one of the last major cities in which an opposition party had a majority. "The government currently wants to control rather than eliminate. Of course, this could change in the future," analyst Esen told DW, adding that despite the extremely tense situation, press freedom could continue to worsen. "We haven't hit rock bottom yet," he fears. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Los Angeles Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Turkish authorities arrest prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan
ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities formally arrested a prominent journalist on Sunday for allegedly threatening President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to state media. The arrest of Fatih Altayli, whose daily commentaries on YouTube attract hundreds of thousands of viewers, comes amid a widespread crackdown on the opposition. State-run Anadolu Agency said Altayli was questioned after his detention late Saturday over a comment he made following a recent poll that showed more than 70% of the public opposed a lifetime presidency for Erdogan, who has been in power for more than two decades. On his YouTube channel, Altayli said Friday he wasn't surprised by the result of the survey and that the Turkish people preferred checks on authority. 'Look at the history of this nation. ... This is a nation which strangled its sultan when they didn't like him or want him. There are quite a few Ottoman sultans who were assassinated, strangled, or whose deaths were made to look like suicide.' An investigation was immediately launched by the Istanbul Public Prosecutors' Office. During questioning, Altayli denied threatening the president, according to Halk TV's website. Officials from municipalities controlled by the main opposition Republican People's Party have faced waves of arrests this year, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was detained in March over allegations of corruption. Many consider the cases to be politically motivated, although Erdogan's government contends that the courts are impartial and free of political involvement.
