Turkish Authorities Seize Pro-Opposition Halk TV

Turkish authorities seized control of the pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV on October 14, 2026. Police raided the channel's Istanbul headquarters, blocked the road, and prevented staff from entering, immediately halting all live broadcasts. The state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund was appointed as a trustee to take over the station and companies linked to its owner.

Legal actions target owner and staff

Prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 17 suspects, including Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu, on allegations of bribery, rigging tenders, and money laundering. Eleven people were taken into custody during the raid. Mahiroğlu, who was abroad at the time, stated that seven members of his family were among those detained. He denied the accusations in a video message posted online.

A court also ordered all of Halk TV’s social media accounts to be blocked from access in Turkey. At the time of the takeover, the channel's website and social media were still being run by staff. Some employees were later allowed back into the building after posting on the platform X. By then, Halk TV was broadcasting only music and documentaries.

Media freedom concerns mount

The takeover represents the latest escalation in a sustained government campaign to neutralize pro-opposition media. In October 2025, authorities seized control of another opposition channel, Tele1, appointing a trustee and stripping its broadcasts of hard-news content. Just weeks before the Halk TV raid, on September 30, 2026, a court blocked access to the T24 news website over content described as 'LGBT propaganda'.

Özgür Öğret, the Turkey representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the seizure. "Seizing Halk TV strikes at the heart of press freedom in Turkey where the vast majority of news outlets are pro-government," Öğret said. He called the action a devastating blow to the public's right to information.

A pattern of suppression

Turkey's press freedom environment has deteriorated sharply. The country ranks 163rd out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down from 159th the previous year. Reporters Without Borders states that 90% of national media outlets are under government control after years of legal pressure, corporate acquisitions, and self-censorship.

Dozens of journalists have been arrested or detained in Turkey so far in 2026. Authorities have blocked access to thousands of social media accounts belonging to journalists and rights defenders. In September 2026 alone, at least 1,270 X accounts were subject to blocking orders, with about 90 percent withheld in Turkey.

The Istanbul Bar Association denounced the Halk TV raid, which occurred hours before jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was due to begin his defence in a separate corruption trial. Özgür Özel, leader of the opposition New Party, condemned the state's action, calling it weak, cowardly, and something only dictators do.

Halk TV's live news broadcasts remain halted, and its social media accounts are blocked within the country.