Turkish prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation into pro-opposition broadcaster TELE1 following a subtitle error that appeared to equate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Turkish media reported.
The incident occurred during the Sunday broadcast of “Turkey’s Direction,” in which political scientist Haldun Solmaztürk posed the question, “What is the difference between Netanyahu and [US President Donald] Trump?” However, the on-screen subtitle mistakenly read, “What is the difference between RTE [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] and Netanyahu?”
In response the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced an investigation under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes “publicly insulting the president.” The probe targets TELE1 Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ, Responsible Manager İhsan Demir and Moderator Musa Özuğurlu, all of whom were taken to the courthouse by police on Tuesday to provide statements. The prosecutors referred them to a Criminal Magistrate of Peace requesting judicial supervision measures, including a travel ban and regular reporting to a police station.
TELE1’s editorial board issued a public apology, attributing the error to a technical mistake by control room staff, and pledged to investigate the matter internally. Despite the apology, officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) escalated the rhetoric. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç confirmed the investigation, while AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik dismissed the apology as insufficient, stating that “necessary action must be taken.”
Ebubekir Şahin, chairman of Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), described the incident as “a direct attack on the Republic of Turkey” and warned that “this disrespect will be met with the harshest sanctions.”
The opposition channel has previously faced broadcast suspensions and fines over its critical coverage of the government. Most recently, RTÜK imposed a five-day broadcast ban and fine in August following the remarks of channel’s editor-in-chief Yanardağ.
Pro-opposition broadcasters in Turkey frequently face restrictions on their broadcasting through sanctions imposed by RTÜK, whose board members are appointed in proportion to the number of seats held by political parties in parliament, meaning that the ruling AKP currently dominates the agency.
Turkey ranked third among European Union candidate countries in press freedom violations in the first half of 2025, with 64 incidents affecting at least 157 journalists and media entities, according to a new report by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR).
The country, which has been suffering from a poor record of freedom of the press for years, also ranks 159th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
