Story perspectives

Prosecutors appoint trustee after Halk TV raid, charges owner

By Drooid · Oct 17, 2026, 6:06 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Istanbul Prosecutors Seize HalkTV

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office appointed a trustee to Halk TV on 14 Oct 2026.
Istanbul police financial crimes units searched Halk TV headquarters and halted its live broadcast.
Prosecutors charged owner Cafer Mahiroglu with bribery, tender rigging and money-laundering.
Investigators said 14 million 464 thousand liras were paid as bribes for BUSTECH tenders.
MASAK reported Mahiroglu-linked firms moved 30 billion 352 million 37 thousand 389 liras.

Summary

Government Appoints Trustee

Government placed Halk TV under a trustee after a dawn raid.
The raid makes Halk TV the fifth major Turkish outlet placed under a trustee.
Press unions TGS, ÇGD and DISK Basin-Is called the raid illegal interference with press freedom.
Opposition leader Özgür Özel called the raid dictatorial and warned it threatens public information rights.
Amnesty International urged authorities to restore Halk TV’s independence and halt attacks on media freedom.

History

Historical Context

In July 2016, after the failed coup, Turkey’s government invoked a state of emergency to close Zaman, Cumhuriyet, and 30 other outlets, silencing dissent. The decree, signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ordered the seizure of assets worth 1.2 billion lira and the arrest of 150 journalists. Today's trustee appointment of Halk TV and the raid on its headquarters echo that 2016 crackdown, as authorities again use legal mechanisms to control broadcast content. Such repeated interventions risk eroding Turkey’s press freedom rankings and may trigger further international criticism from bodies like Amnesty International and the EU.

1 of 3

Istanbul Prosecutors Seize HalkTV

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office appointed a trustee to Halk TV on 14 Oct 2026.
Istanbul police financial crimes units searched Halk TV headquarters and halted its live broadcast.
Prosecutors charged owner Cafer Mahiroglu with bribery, tender rigging and money-laundering.
Investigators said 14 million 464 thousand liras were paid as bribes for BUSTECH tenders.
MASAK reported Mahiroglu-linked firms moved 30 billion 352 million 37 thousand 389 liras.

1 / 3