Two opposition-linked TV stations are currently facing broadcast bans from Turkey’s TV and radio watchdog (RTÜK). Sözcü TV will be blacked out for 10 days starting today (July 8). The ban of another major opposition-linked broadcaster, Halk TV, was paused by a court order in Ankara Monday (July 7).
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| Turkey’s opposition-linked news channels faced with broadcast bans as court order pauses blackout |
The bans being imposed on these stations are due to allegations of “Inciting society to hatred and hostility, creating feelings of hatred in society by taking into account race, language, religion, gender, class, region and sectarian differences,” and “incite people to hatred and hostility,” according to RTÜK.
This decision by RTÜK had resulted in a 10-day broadcasting ban for Halk TV, which was paused by Monday’s court order in Ankara. The court requested additional documents and granted a 30-day window in which Halk TV will be allowed to continue broadcasting.
Halk’s original 10-day ban had been imposed due to a segment broadcast by the network in which a guest said “Turkey is not becoming more religious, it is becoming more sectarian,” and criticized the naming of Istanbul’s third and newest Bosphorus crossing, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge.
Halk and Sözcü TV were both recently subjected to a 3% administrative fine due to programs deemed to “not respect human dignity and privacy and degrade individuals or organizations beyond the limits of criticism”.
Sözcü faces 10-day blackout
Starting today, Sözcü TV will face a 10-day blackout imposed by RTÜK. The penalty stems from the network’s broadcast of the major protests in late March and early April following the March 19th detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition politician and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s presidential candidate.
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RTÜK has alleged that Sözcü TV’s broadcast of these protests amounted to “inciting the public to hatred and hostility”.
Press freedom in Turkey
Some 90% of Turkish media ownership is linked to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. The country’s remaining opposition-linked channels, such as Halk and Sözcü TV, have been subjected to increasing fines and bans in recent years. Since 2013, Freedom House has ranked Turkey as ‘not free’ partially due to an erosion in press freedom which intensified following 2013’s Gezi Park Protests and 2016’s failed coup d’etat attempt.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
