Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has issued a five-day broadcast ban as well as a fine on pro-opposition Sözcü TV, the latest in a series of sanctions on the broadcaster over the past two years, Turkish Minute reported.
RTÜK ruled that the network’s political commentary program “Para Politika” (Monetary Policy), hosted by journalist Özlem Gürses, will be barred from airing between August 11 and 15. In addition to the broadcast ban, the council imposed the largest fine permitted by law.
RTÜK said the sanctions were prompted by comments made on the program by economist Dr. Murat Kubilay, who said, “Turkey is not a Muslim country.” The watchdog claimed that the remark was divisive, incited hatred and contradicted the nation’s moral and religious values.
The statement from Kubilay had followed a public debate sparked by a controversial cartoon published in June in LeMan, a Turkish satirical magazine.
The magazine’s staff is under investigation due to the cartoon in LeMan’s June 26 issue depicting two men named Muhammad and Moses greeting each other above a bombed city, which sparked angry protests from religious and conservative circles in İstanbul and attracted condemnation from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior officials from his government.
The magazine said the illustration was a political critique of Israel’s bombing of Gaza, not a depiction of religious figures.
Although there is no ban on it in the Islamic holy book, the Quran, the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is deemed highly offensive by most Muslims.
RTÜK’s latest decision comes just a month after Sözcü TV was blacked out for 10 days in July over its coverage of mass protests sparked by the March arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
RTÜK accused Sözcü TV of inciting hatred through live coverage and commentary from İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir, alleging that the broadcasts encouraged public unrest during the protests in support of İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure who is widely seen the strongest political rival of President Erdoğan.
In total, the broadcaster has been fined approximately 15 million Turkish lira (about $375,000) over the past 20 months, according to the network.
Media rights groups and opposition lawmakers have criticized RTÜK for disproportionately targeting outlets critical of Erdoğan’s government, arguing that the body is being used to stifle dissent and curb press freedom.
