Thousands rally in Turkiye over journalist arrests, media shutdowns
Thousands have protested across Turkiye against the arrests of journalists and restrictions on independent media.
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Thousands have protested across Turkiye against the arrests of journalists and restrictions on independent media.
The state takeover of Halk TV, one of Turkeyโs most widely watched news channels, represents far more than an isolated confrontation between the authorities and an independent broadcaster. For Milena Buyum, Amnesty Internationalโs Turkey campaigner, it is part of a broader erosion of media pluralism, characterized by the appointment of state trustees, the detention of journalists and mounting restrictions on independent digital platforms. Buyum describes the intervention as a "brutal attack on media freedom in Turkey,โ framing it within a sustained crackdown on independent journalism that has intensified since March 2025.ย
Police raided Turkey's most-watched news channel, Halk TV, early Wednesday, halting broadcasts and installing a government-appointed administrator in the latest move against pro-opposition media. Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroglu condemned the move against the broadcaster's Istanbul headquarters as "a dark day for Turkey", and criticism poured in from the opposition and rights groups.
Turkish authorities appointed a government trustee to run popular broadcaster Halk TV on Wednesday afterย police raided its headquarters, halting live broadcasts and arresting 11 people. Halk chairman Cafer Mahirogluin denounced "a dark day for Turkey", adding that seven of his family members were among those detained.ย