Story perspectives

Police Raid Halk TV, Install Government Trustee

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 2:57 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Police raided Halk TV headquarters and installed a government trustee.
Live transmission stopped at 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) and pre-recorded programs aired.
Police detained 11 people while prosecutors issued warrants for 17 suspects linked to chairman Cafer Mahiroglu.
Mahiroglu, who remains abroad, had seven relatives detained.
Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel called the raid a dictatorial move that silences news.

History

Historical Context

In July 2016, after the failed coup, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seized the Zaman newspaper, shut down dozens of TV stations and closed about 150 media outlets, detaining over 12,000 civil servants. The April 2024 police raid on Halk TV, which detained 11 staff and targeted chairman Cafer Mahiroglu, repeats that post-coup crackdown on independent broadcasters and has drawn EU criticism.

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Story summary

Police raided Halk TV headquarters and installed a government trustee.
Live transmission stopped at 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) and pre-recorded programs aired.
Police detained 11 people while prosecutors issued warrants for 17 suspects linked to chairman Cafer Mahiroglu.
Mahiroglu, who remains abroad, had seven relatives detained.
Opposition leader Ozgur Ozel called the raid a dictatorial move that silences news.

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