Turkish Police Raid Halk TV and Silence Its Live News
A state-appointed administrator took control of the opposition-aligned broadcaster during a financial-crimes investigation into its owner. Human Rights Watch says the seizure cuts access to independent news in an already heavily government-aligned media market.
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Oct 14, 22:00 UTC ·
835 words
Turkish police raided Halk TV before dawn on October 14, and a state-appointed administrator took control and halted live broadcasts, silencing a widely watched opposition-aligned news channel. [1][2][3]
Officers entered the Istanbul headquarters at about 5:15 a.m., according to morning-show host Deniz Bayramoğlu. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office linked the operation to an investigation of the channel's owner, Cafer Mahiroğlu, over alleged bribery, bid-rigging and money laundering. [3]
Human Rights Watch said the seizure restricts access to independent news in a country where most people rely on television for information. [1]
Mahiroğlu rejected the allegations as baseless. "The public's right to information is being seized for political reasons," he said in a video message, according to the BBC. The BBC reported that he was outside Turkey during the raid. [2]
The operation coincided with İmamoğlu beginning his defence in his main trial. The mayor, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leading political rival, had been imprisoned for more than a year on corruption charges, according to the BBC. Human Rights Watch describes his trial as politically motivated. [1][2]
An interview ends, an old film appears
Shortly before administrators cut the live broadcast, an anchor was interviewing someone about an investment-fund scandal involving prominent figures in the ruling party, according to Human Rights Watch. Viewers were then shown a scene from an old Turkish film. [1]
Halk TV's editor-in-chief, Suat Toktaş, asked the administrator's panel to allow live broadcasts to continue, invoking the public's right to information. The request was rejected, according to Bianet. [3]
The channel confirmed the appointment of an administrator and the suspension of live broadcasting on its official social media account, Bianet reported. The BBC also reported that both the television channel's live broadcasts and its YouTube live output were offline. [2][3]
Bianet reported that organized-crime and counterterrorism officers searched the headquarters. The prosecutor's office said 11 people had been detained in raids on their homes, with warrants issued for 17 people in connection with the investigation. Mahiroğlu said seven members of his family had been detained. [2][3]
The financial-crime allegations are not findings of guilt. The sources do not establish the investigation's outcome, provide a detailed legal order defining the administrator's powers, or include a government explanation for stopping broadcasts beyond the prosecutor's stated investigation. [1][2][3]
Human Rights Watch said Halk TV would be managed by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund, a state body attached to the presidency. The fund has managed companies placed under government administration during criminal investigations for the past 10 years, according to the rights group. [1]
That arrangement moves control of the station to a body attached to the presidency while the owner's criminal investigation proceeds. Its first reported editorial consequence was immediate: the live interview disappeared, and the editor-in-chief's appeal to keep broadcasting failed. [1][3]
A smaller space for independent news
Halk TV was founded in 2004 and has long been aligned with the Republican People's Party, known as the CHP. More recently, it aligned with Yeni Parti, an opposition party formed after a split within the CHP, according to Bianet. Human Rights Watch describes it as an independent, widely watched channel close to that party. [1][3]
Its reporting has included İmamoğlu's imprisonment and trial, efforts to divide the opposition, and corruption allegations involving the ruling party, according to Human Rights Watch. Bianet reported that Turkey's broadcast regulator, RTÜK, had repeatedly fined the channel over political commentary. [1][3]
Human Rights Watch places the seizure within a wider effort by Erdoğan's government to restrict access to independent news. It cited closures or interruptions of other television outlets, prosecutions and imprisonment of journalists, and increased internet censorship. That is the rights group's assessment of the government's actions and purpose. [1]
The scale of media concentration gives the takeover consequences beyond one Istanbul newsroom. Turkey ranked 163rd of 180 countries in the 2026 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, according to the BBC, which also cited the press-freedom group's finding that 90% of national media outlets were under government control. [2]
The BBC described the vast majority of Turkish media as pro-government after years of legal and financial pressure, corporate acquisitions and self-censorship. In that market, removing a critical television news service further narrows viewers' choices. [2]
A precedent at Tele1
Another opposition-aligned broadcaster, Tele1, was placed under a trustee in October 2025. Its broadcasts were subsequently stripped of hard-news content, according to the BBC. [2]
That precedent gives weight to concerns about what state administration could mean for Halk TV's journalism. The immediate interruption is already established. The longer-term editorial direction will depend on decisions made under the new management.
The Istanbul Bar Association denounced the operation, according to the BBC. Opposition leader Özgür Özel called the raid "weak and cowardly" and said, "Storming a TV channel with a police raid at dawn and appointing a trustee is something only dictators do." [2]
The next decisions concern whether live news returns, whether journalists can continue reporting from the station, and how the financial-crimes investigation proceeds. For now, the administrator's panel has rejected Halk TV's editor-in-chief's request to keep its live broadcasts on air. [3]
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