Turkey’s media watchdog has imposed program suspension penalties and maximum fines on opposition broadcasters Sözcü TV and TELE1 for airing statements deemed to violate national values and insult the president, Turkish Minute reported.
The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) penalized Sözcü TV over remarks made on its “Para Politika” (Money Policy) program, where the host argued that “Turkey is not a Muslim country.” The comments were made during a discussion following public backlash against a cartoon in LeMan magazine, which many interpreted as a caricature depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
RTÜK said the statements incited hatred, contradicted national and spiritual values and posed a threat to social peace by politicizing religion. It cited a violation of public morality and family protection principles under Turkey’s broadcasting law.
The council also sanctioned TELE1 for broadcasting a speech by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel during a rally in İstanbul’s Saraçhane neighborhood. In his address Özel accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of leading a “civilian coup” against the will of the people, with the arrests of the mayor of İstanbul and other CHP members. The program aired the subtitle “Coup leader Erdoğan.”
RTÜK found the remarks violated Article 8 of Law No. 6112, which prohibits defamatory and degrading content that exceeds the boundaries of criticism. The council imposed the maximum administrative fine along with a suspension of the program.
