Just today...

October 14, morning, around 05:30...

The police showed up at the door of Halk TV.

A trustee had been appointed to the channel, citing an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding allegations of bribery and bid-rigging.

A search was initiated in the building.

Financial Crimes and Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime units also participated in the operation. The road where the channel is located was closed to traffic, and hundreds of police officers took security measures in the surrounding area.

Employees were prevented from entering the building.

While the search was ongoing, channel staff were not allowed inside.

When the meeting between Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş and the board of trustees regarding the continuation of the broadcast flow yielded no results, the live broadcast stopped around 06:30.

Halk TV had been silenced.

The right of the people of my country to receive information was being openly violated.

Then...

We will, of course, all see together what happens during the judicial process. However, we know that the issue is not limited to a judicial investigation.

Article 28 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press.

“The press is free, it cannot be censored.”

Oh, come on!

When the government's interests are touched, no one cares about the fate of television stations, newspapers, or social media accounts.

They are not content with silencing those who criticize them; they suppress every voice that carries the potential for criticism.

Because they are uneasy!

The country is in such a state of mind that they fear they will not be able to prevent the anger accumulating like an avalanche in society, despite all of Özgür Özel's efforts to “dampen” it; they want to prevent this from growing further and turning into a threat to themselves from now on.

So, can they achieve results with such a harsh stance?

We don't know.

However, it is clear that they have hardened their hearts to silence the opposition media, opposition voices, and anyone with the potential to criticize them.

Let's get to the main point...

The timing of the intervention in Halk TV is extremely meaningful!

Because October 14 was the day when three critical topics of politics and the economy were being discussed.

The first was Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu beginning his defense in the IMM case.

He had been waiting for this day for months.

It is not difficult to guess that the government is uncomfortable with what İmamoğlu said from the courtroom podium.

Because İmamoğlu's words resonate with the people of my country.

The government has no interest in the case being discussed beyond its legal dimension. The possibility of him emerging as a hero—if he can—is a nightmare scenario for the government!

That is why we can guess they think, the more we can muffle his voice, the better it is for our interests.

The second topic was the fund scandal that concerns hundreds of thousands of people.

At the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Planning and Budget Committee, a draft law regarding the liquidation of 131 funds belonging to seven portfolio companies associated with 455,758 investors was being discussed.

An incident where people lost their savings and public oversight was being questioned was on the Parliament's agenda.

There were questions that needed to be answered.

The government is extremely uncomfortable with this discussion growing. For them, having the fund scandal drop off the agenda as much as possible is a dream come true.

The third topic was the Mecca Defense Alliance.

The day before yesterday, a journalist asked Trump, “Will you invite Turkey to retaliate against Yemen?”

Trump gave this answer:

“I might. He is a great guy. As you know, he is a very close friend of mine, I might do that. I have great respect for the President of Turkey. I think President Erdoğan will fulfill my request. I have great respect for him.”

In other words, with this answer, Trump clearly revealed that the decision to send Turkish soldiers to Saudi Arabia to fight against the Houthis was entirely up to Tayyip Erdoğan.

We can guess that the government did not welcome Trump's words.

It both created the impression that Tayyip Erdoğan does whatever Trump says and gave the opposition a trump card to use to their heart's content.

Because there was neither an agreement, nor a memorandum of understanding, nor a cooperation protocol. What they called the Mecca Agreement was actually just a simple declaration of intent.

Sending soldiers to Saudi Arabia based on this without a parliamentary decision could have left Tayyip Erdoğan in the middle of an extremely troublesome situation.

Of course, headlines in opposition media outlets and social media accounts saying “Trump asked, Tayyip Erdoğan sent Turkish soldiers” will not be very useful for the government in the run-up to the elections.

It is not difficult to guess this.

So, who was the journalist who asked this critical question and, if you will, put the words into Trump's mouth?

Serra Karaçam

Halk TV's Washington Representative!

One day later, they seized Halk TV.

In a way, they prevented Serra Karaçam from asking similar questions to Trump in the coming days and these answers from reaching Halk TV viewers.

If Halk TV had continued to broadcast, Serra Karaçam could have asked similar questions to Trump and delivered the answers she received to the audience in Turkey. These questions could have further fueled the debate against the government regarding the deployment of Turkish soldiers to Saudi Arabia and their potential mission.

Now the conditions for the channel to broadcast have changed.

We don't even know if Serra Karaçam's White House accreditation will be revoked.

In short, the words that came out of Trump's mouth are clear.

Let us continue to ask.

So, where does Trump get this confidence?

What request does he intend to convey to Erdoğan?

On what basis is the possibility of sending Turkish soldiers to Saudi Arabia and becoming part of a conflict against the Houthis being discussed?

These are questions that the government must openly answer to the public.

Halk TV, the broadcasting address in Turkey for the Washington line where these very questions were being asked, faced a trustee intervention the next morning.

Immediately after the day Trump announced his expectation from Tayyip Erdoğan, the silencing of the channel that carried these words to Turkey...

It might be a coincidence.

But questioning the political consequences of this coincidence is journalism itself, and with that, let us put a period to our article.