Turkish flags. Photo by Engin Akyurt , free license.
04.09.2025
On July 24, 2025, Turkey’s broadcast regulator RTÜK imposed severe penalties against critical broadcasters, including a temporary broadcast blackout and hefty administrative fines targeting TELE1. The punishment was based on remarks by the channel’s editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardağ, who characterized the 2016 failed coup as “an Islamist coup” and held the ruling AKP government as the main responsible actor. RTÜK alleged that Yanardağ’s comments “incited hatred and enmity among the public.”
In early August, a court in Ankara suspended RTÜK’s broadcast ban to allow TELE1 to challenge the decision. However, the suspension was overturned on August 27, clearing the way for the blackout to take effect , from August 31 until 5 September.
This is not the first time a critical broadcaster has been silenced in Turkey this year. In July, RTÜK imposed a 10-day broadcast ban on SZC TV over unfavorable comments about the government. Around the same time, on July 8, Halk TV was also hit with a 10-day broadcast blackout. However, the decision was suspended by a court, allowing the channel to remain on air pending an appeal.
Furthermore, RTÜK issued at least 46 sanctions in the first half of 2025 alone, 42 of them targeting critical outlets, with total fines amounting to nearly 100 million Turkish liras (~2 million Euros).
More chillingly, all three broadcasters, TELE1, Halk TV, and SZC TV, now risk the permanent revocation of their licenses should they be seen to repeat the violations within the next year.
The MFRR partners regard RTÜK’s decision to silence TELE1, and other critical media outlets, as a direct attack against freedom of expression and media pluralism in Turkey. We urge RTÜK to reverse the broadcast ban and respect the role of independent journalism in a democratic society.
Signed by:
- ARTICLE 19 Europe
- European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
- European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
- International Press Institute (IPI)
- OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
This content is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
