Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed 16,043 sanctions on broadcasters and fined them over TL 250 million (nearly $45 million) in the last eight years, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.
Between 2010 and 2018, RTÜK ruled 313 times to suspend a specific program, while it revoked the broadcasting licenses of 37 companies.
The numbers were revealed by the Culture and Tourism Ministry upon a parliamentary question posed by an opposition deputy.
Many critics believe RTÜK is used by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to control TV stations.