Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that a fine imposed on a pro-government broadcaster for its comments linking opposition politician Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to terrorism violated the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression, the T24 news website reported on Tuesday.
In 2016, Akit TV accused Kılıçdaroğlu, then the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, of acting as a spokesperson for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) with his criticism of Turkey’s transition to a presidential system of governance.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has been waging a bloody war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) fined Akit TV 14,359 Turkish lira ($410) for its report, citing violations of human dignity and the use of expressions considered “beyond the limits of criticism,” as well as for using “derogatory, humiliating or defamatory” language.
Akit TV challenged the fine in court, arguing that its statements were political critiques within the bounds of press freedom. However, lower courts ruled against the broadcaster.
The TV station then appealed to the Constitutional Court in 2021 regarding the fine imposed by RTÜK. The top court overturned the lower courts’ rulings on the grounds that their decisions had “cherry-picked” and “misinterpreted” Akit TV’s comments out of context. The court also criticized the lower courts for failing to strike a proper balance between press freedoms and the right to protect personal dignity. Ultimately, the court ruled that the fine imposed by RTÜK violated Akit TV’s right to freedom of expression.
The ruling about the pro-government broadcaster was sent back to the Ankara 14th Administrative Court for retrial.
The “Digital News Report 2024” by Oxford University’s Reuters Institute, released in June, revealed that pro-government media outlets in Turkey, which are frequently criticized for acting as the Turkish government’s propaganda machine, suffer from low trust among Turks. The report found that trust in these media outlets ranged from 35 percent to 52 percent.
These media outlets are known for parroting the government narrative on many social and economic issues and targeting the government’s critics inside and outside Turkey. They are said to play a significant role in managing public perceptions to keep the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in power amid the demise of the independent media in the country due to a harsh government crackdown.