, has warned broadcasters against expressing personal views on the Wednesday detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.){kind=link}
In a move seen by many as an act of intimidation and censorship, Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), has warned broadcasters against expressing personal views on the Wednesday detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
İmamoğlu and 86 others, including two district mayors in İstanbul, city officials, businessmen and journalists, were detained as part of two investigations led by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and are accused of corruption and terrorism.
The detention of İmamoğlu, seen as the most powerful political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has sparked protests and widespread condemnation, with TV stations in Turkey and abroad providing extensive coverage of the detentions.
RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin warned broadcasters in a statement on X on Wednesday, arguing that the investigations are in full compliance with the law and that TV program hosts and commentators should not report on the detentions based on their personal political views.
Şahin said avoiding personal views in broadcasts about the detentions is crucial to maintaining public order and protecting editorial independence. He added that RTÜK experts are closely monitoring coverage of the detentions, implying that sanctions may be imposed on stations that fail to comply.
Journalist Fatih Portakal of Sözcü TV commented on Şahin’s statement, saying those who believe the investigations into İmamoğlu and the others are not legally justified should also have the right to express their views.
“When you say, ‘They are in compliance with the law,’ we have the right to say, ‘No, they are not.’ Will we be sanctioned for this? Will the people be silenced?” he asked.
Pro-opposition news channels in Turkey frequently face broadcasting restrictions through RTÜK-imposed sanctions. The agency’s board members are appointed in proportion to the number of seats held by political parties in parliament, meaning that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) currently dominates the council.
Earlier this week RTÜK submitted video footage to prosecutors from six media organizations whose coverage of the 2013 anti-government Gezi Park protests may have contributed to the escalation of demonstrations.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which launched an investigation into a celebrity manager over her alleged role in the protests, is now probing the alleged role of media outlets as it expands the investigation.
The footage given to prosecutors by RTÜK came from Halk TV, Kanal D, Fox TV, the now-closed Samanyolu Haber, Cem TV and Flash TV, dating back to May 27, 2013.
The executives and reporters from these stations could be summoned by prosecutors to testify.
At the height of the protests in June 2013, which began over an urban development plan in central İstanbul and spread to other cities in Turkey, some media outlets, mainly those close to the government, chose not to cover them, probably fearing to attract the government’s anger. They were covered by only a group of pro-opposition and independent media outlets.
Turkey, which has been suffering from a poor record of freedom of the press for years, ranks 158th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index published in May 2024.