Turkey’s broadcast regulator fined three pro-opposition TV stations on Friday, citing critical on-air commentary and a subtitle error, sparking criticism over the continued use of financial penalties against opposition media, the T24 news websites reported.
The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed two fines on TELE1, while Sözcü TV and Halk TV received one apiece. Each fine amounts to 3 percent of channel’s advertising revenue from the previous month.
One of the fines TELE1 received was over a subtitle error in a September 21 program that appeared to equate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although the station’s editorial board issued a public apology, three staff members were investigated and placed under judicial supervision.
Sözcü TV was fined for remarks made by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) parliamentary group leader Ali Mahir Başarır and CHP lawmaker Cemal Enginyurt during a program that criticized alleged political interference in judicial decisions.
Halk TV’s penalty stemmed from guest commentary critical of Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of President Erdoğan.
In the first nine months of 2025, RTÜK issued 52 broadcasting bans and fines on TV stations, 44 of which targeted the pro-opposition Sözcü TV, TELE 1 and Halk TV. The three stations collectively faced 25 days of broadcast suspensions, 26 program bans and fines exceeding 22 million lira (around $530,000).
It is common for pro-opposition news stations in Turkey to face restrictions on their broadcasting through bans and fines 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, also ranks 159th among 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
