The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) warned broadcasters of tougher penalties and active monitoring following recent high-profile murders in Turkey, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Diken news website.
In a recent statement RTÜK criticized the coverage of the recent violent incidents, claiming that some broadcasters had violated press ethics. The watchdog vowed to go beyond issuing warnings, imposing what it called “the utmost severity” in penalties for any breaches of the law. The council also indicated a crackdown on daytime television programs, promising more details on these efforts in the coming days.
RTÜK’s statement contained a list of directives, warning that the media must avoid what it called “reckless broadcasting,” refrain from spreading unverified information and be cautious about airing depictions of violence, particularly during hours when children may be watching. It further instructed broadcasters not to present isolated incidents as if they reflect broader social trends or suggest that law enforcement is failing to address crime.
The council’s statement came amid growing concerns over violent crime in Turkey, including the murder of two 19-year-old women in İstanbul, one of whom was beheaded, and the killing of a 26-year-old police officer in late September. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has since pledged to introduce reforms to the justice system, emphasizing stricter penalties for offenders and limitations on the early release of convicts.
Erdoğan’s proposals include stricter pretrial detention rules for repeat offenders and reforms to sentencing laws to ensure convicts serve a minimum portion of their sentences before being eligible for parole.
Turkey’s government has faced criticism for its handling of crime, with watchdog groups reporting hundreds of femicides and suspicious deaths of women this year alone. Critics accuse authorities of leniency towards individuals with criminal records, especially following the release of over 100,000 inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic under a controversial 2020 law. These concerns have been amplified by recent cases involving suspects with extensive criminal records, including the murder of police officer Şeyda Yılmaz.
The Turkish government is also accused of taking the Turkish media under its almost absolute control following a failed military coup in 2016. The government closed down hundreds of media outlets and jailed dozens of critical journalists in a post-coup crackdown on the pretext of an anti-coup fight.
Journalists face the risk of losing their jobs, being subjected to judicial harassment and getting jailed even for the slightest criticism of the government.
Turkey, which has been suffering from a poor record of freedom of the press for years, ranks 158th among 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index published on May 3 on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
