Halk TV comes under trustees after police enter its Istanbul headquarters
Trustees took over Halk TV after police entered the Turkish broadcaster’s Istanbul headquarters and its news broadcast was interrupted. Prosecutors cited a financial investigation involving owner Cafer Mahiroğlu, who rejected the allegations and called the intervention political. Journalists and media-rights advocates criticized the operation and its effect on access to news.
Geopolitics··Evening
Trustees replace the channel’s management
Trustees took over Halk TV, a Turkish news broadcaster, after police entered its Istanbul headquarters on 14 October. The channel’s news broadcast was interrupted during the intervention.[1], [2]
The entrance was locked and access restricted to employees. Halk TV reporter Gamze Altunay said the intervention prevented her from covering the Istanbul municipality trial that day. The operation coincided with Ekrem İmamoğlu’s defence appearance at the court complex in Silivri, near Istanbul.[1]
Mahiroğlu rejects the financial allegations
Prosecutors cited an investigation involving owner Cafer Mahiroğlu on suspicion of bribery, tender rigging and money laundering. They said seventeen people were sought and eleven had been detained. Companies he co-owned or managed were also seized and placed under trustees. Mahiroğlu, who lives abroad, rejected the allegations as baseless and said the judiciary was being used for political purposes. He said seven members of his family were detained, including his seventy-year-old brother.[1]
Journalists and rights advocates object
The Turkish Journalists’ Union condemned the operation. Media-rights advocate Veysel Ok said the intervention restricted access to different news sources, while Erol Önderoğlu criticized judicial pressure on critical media. Halk TV had previously faced sanctions from the broadcasting regulator. The allegations against its owner remain under investigation.[1]
