Two Council of Europe parliamentary monitors warned Thursday that Turkey’s takeover of opposition broadcaster Halk TV, the jailing of two journalists and the house arrest of two others pointed to an alarming pattern of pressure on independent journalism.
Lord David Blencathra of the United Kingdom and Yves Cruchten of Luxembourg, co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Turkey by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), cited the police raid on Halk TV, the interruption of its live broadcasts and the appointment of a state administrator.
“This is a truly dark day for media freedom in Türkiye,” the co-rapporteurs said. “These actions raise grave concerns about the continued erosion of independent journalism in the country.”
Police raided Halk TV’s İstanbul headquarters on October 14 as the state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) was appointed trustee for the broadcaster. Prosecutors said the operation was part of an investigation into its owner, Cafer Mahiroğlu, over allegations of bribery, bid rigging and money laundering.
The four journalists were accused of spreading disinformation in their reporting or commentary about alleged links between ruling party figures and an investment fund scandal. Sözcü Editor Mustafa Balcı and Bizim TV Editor-in-Chief Şaban Sevinç were jailed pending trial on October 9, while Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz and Cumhuriyet columnist Murat Ağırel were put under house arrest the following day. Ağırel was detained again on Friday in a separate investigation.
The rapporteurs said allegations of criminal wrongdoing could be investigated through fair and independent proceedings but warned against using criminal and administrative measures to silence critical voices or undermine editorial independence. They urged Turkish authorities to ensure due process and protect journalists from intimidation and arbitrary interference.
The rapporteurs also cited Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects freedom of expression, including the press’s freedom to report and the public’s right to access information. Any restrictions, they said, must be lawful, pursue a legitimate aim and be necessary and proportionate in a democratic society.
The Halk TV takeover brought to 10 the number of TV stations placed under state-appointed trustees in Turkey since March 2025. In October 2025, authorities took control of the TELE1 pro-opposition broadcaster after its editor-in-chief, Merdan Yanardağ, was detained in an espionage investigation. The new management suspended the station’s live news broadcasts.
Turkey is one of 10 Council of Europe member states subject to PACE’s full monitoring procedure, which assesses their compliance with obligations concerning democracy, human rights and the rule of law. PACE reopened the procedure for Turkey in 2017, following a 2016 coup attempt, amid concerns about democratic institutions, judicial independence and fundamental freedoms.
According to Expression Interrupted, a press freedom monitoring group, 25 journalists are currently behind bars in Turkey. The country’s deteriorating media landscape was further pointed out in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where it was ranked 163rd out of 180 nations.
