Pro-opposition TV channel handed 10-day blackout over İmamoğlu protest coverage

Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), has issued a 10-day broadcast suspension for pro-opposition Sözcü TV over its coverage of protests that erupted after the Mar 19 detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

RTÜK announced the decision following a meeting today, issuing a total of seven penalties against four television channels due to their broadcasts during the protests. Along with the broadcast ban on Sözcü TV, the council ordered the suspension of five episodes of programming on Halk TV and Tele 1. These two channels and Now TV also received administrative fines.

Sözcü TV was penalized over live broadcasts from İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir during the protests. The council claimed that comments made by presenters and guests during those segments "incited hatred and enmity among the public."

The suspension means Sözcü TV’s screen will remain blacked out around the clock for 10 days, displaying only RTÜK’s official decision text. The council also warned that a repeat offense could result in the revocation of the channel’s license.

RTÜK head's warning

RTÜK chair Ebubekir Şahin had signaled harsher penalties during the protests, issuing a statement at midnight on Mar 23. He accused some broadcasters of acting “like spokespersons for illegal organizations,” adding that some aired content that included “calls to take to the streets, violations of personal rights, insults or threats against state officials, members of the judiciary, and law enforcement.” He warned that long-term suspensions and even license revocations could be imposed.

Following the RTÜK rulings, Halk TV owner Cafer Mahiroğlu responded on social media, saying that the penalties were "the last stop before the cancellation of our broadcasting license."

He wrote, "RTÜK has fulfilled the threats it has been making for days, and has imposed another heavy fine on Halk TV. This heavy fine is the last stop before the broadcasting license is cancelled. They want us not to report the news, to deny our reason for existence. They say 'Do not see, do not hear, do not speak'." 

The protest wave began on Mar 19 following İmamoğlu’s detention and has resulted in a series of crackdowns on journalists and social media users. On Mar 24, eight journalists covering the demonstrations were detained in house raids and held in custody until Mar 27. Social media platform X restricted access to hundreds of accounts sharing content about the protests at the request of Turkish courts. Dozens of users were also detained over their posts. (VK)