Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), has imposed sanctions on the pro-opposition Sözcü TV after a guest allegedly hinted at a military coup in the wake of an intensifying government crackdown on opponents in the country, Turkish Minute reported.
RTÜK’s sanctions were prompted by the remarks of Türker Ertürk, a former naval officer, who allegedly called on people to take to the streets and implied the need for a coup during several programs on Sözcü TV, where he recently took part as a guest.
The next five episodes of “Aklın Yolu” (The Path of the Mind) will be suspended, while the station will pay a fine amounting to 5 percent of last month’s revenue, according to the sanctions announced by RTÜK following its meeting on Thursday.
During the program Ertürk said it is no longer possible to pretend that democracy, the rule of law and freedoms exist in the country, while calling on people to take action including acts of civil disobedience to fight government pressure.
“If the opposition has the leadership and power, let’s see them gather millions in the streets,” he said.
The station is accused of violating a law that bans broadcasts that incite public hatred or hostility.
According to the watchdog, these statements could be interpreted as a call for unrest and a suggestion that the military could intervene if the government lost an election.
Tuncay Keser, a member of RTÜK from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), criticized the decision on X, describing it as an attempt to suppress dissent. He said RTÜK imposed the sanctions on Sözcü TV, fearing that Ertürk’s remarks could spark protests in society similar to the anti-government protests in 2013, known as Gezi Park protests.
The Gezi Park protests, which began over an urban development plan in central İstanbul in the summer of 2013 and spread to other cities in Turkey, posed a serious challenge to the rule of then-prime minister and current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They were violently suppressed by the government of Erdoğan, who later labelled the protests as a “coup attempt” against him.
Keser said punishments issued over the exercise of a constitutional right to express one’s view is a heavy blow to freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
The sanctions come amid an intensified government crackdown on dissent, with opposition figures, journalists, academics and even astrologers targeted in efforts to suppress criticism and consolidate power by the Turkish government.
It is common for pro-opposition news channels in Turkey to 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 Justice and Development Party (AKP) currently dominates the agency.
Turkey, which has been suffering from a poor record of freedom of the press for years, ranks 158th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index published in May 2024.
