A dozen Kurdish and Alevi TV stations were closed down under a new decree issued by Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) late on Wednesday.
Reports differed on the number of broadcasters affected. The opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet reported 23 stations were closed, and the pro-Kurdish Dicle news agency reported 20 stations were shuttered, but neither news outlet published a full list.
The broadcasters included pro-Kurdish and leftist radio stations, along with a Kurdish-language channel for children and one that played folk music. Turkey’s government-controlled satellite operator TÜRKSAT stopped carrying the signals last night following an order from broadcast regulator the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), according to press reports. Hayatın Sesi, Azadi TV, Jiyan TV, Van TV, TV10, Denge TV, and Zarok TV were no longer on the air in İstanbul on Thursday.
Yön Radio from Istanbul, SES Radio from the southern Turkish city of Mersin and Radio Dünya from the southern Turkish city of Adana were also closed down, press reports said.
More than 160 media outlets were previously shut down by government decree issued under post-coup emergency rule.
Meanwhile, a total of 120 journalists are currently under arrest in Turkey. (Turkey Purge)