Following a police operation conducted at Halk TV in the morning hours, the appointment of a trustee to the channel and the suspension of its broadcast have sparked reactions from press professional organizations. DİSK Basın-İş, the Progressive Journalists Association (ÇGD), and the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) stated that the decision is unacceptable in terms of press freedom and the public's right to receive information.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that detention warrants were issued for 17 people, and 11 people were detained as part of an investigation into Halk TV owner Cafer Mahiroğlu on charges of bribery, bid-rigging, and laundering assets derived from crime. It was also announced that the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) has been appointed as a trustee to companies associated with Mahiroğlu.
It was reported that the television broadcast was halted during the process in which the board of trustees took over the channel's management, that there was a heavy police presence around the building, and that journalists were prevented from entering the building.
SUCCESSIVE STATEMENTS FROM PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
DİSK Basın-İş evaluated the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV and the suspension of its broadcast as "an unacceptable intervention directly targeting press freedom and the public's right to receive information." In the statement, it was noted that the practice applied to TELE1 last year was repeated today at Halk TV, and it was stated that this situation increases concerns regarding the legal security of the media in Turkey.
The Progressive Journalists Association also stated that the decision is a severe intervention against press and expression freedom. The association argued that constitutional rights and the public's freedom to receive information are being ignored and shared a message of solidarity with Halk TV employees.
The Journalists Union of Turkey, in its statement, used the phrases, "We do not accept this tyranny! The press is free, it cannot be censored!" The union reacted to the decision by stating that the intervention against Halk TV targets press freedom.
The common emphasis in the statements of the professional organizations was solidarity with Halk TV workers and the protection of the public's right to receive information. The organizations called on the public to stand up for press freedom.
News Source: 12punto
