Türkiye, police raid on the opposition TV headquarters: broadcasts suspended

Turkish police raided the headquarters of Halk TV, one of the main opposition television channels, in Istanbul. The news was reported this morning by the same broadcaster. "The police are in the Halk TV building. An administrator has been appointed (to take control of the channel). The live broadcast has been stopped," the channel said on

The police raid

The police intervention began shortly after 6 in the morning. During the search, employees were prevented from entering the building. According to the broadcaster NTV, 11 people were placed in custody, while a total of 17 arrest warrants were issued, including one against Harika Akkaya, one of the channel's managers. A judicial administrator was appointed for the channel and live broadcasts were suspended. Instead, a repeat of a program is broadcast.

The condemnation of the opposition

The operation sparked several condemnatory reactions, including those from the president of the New Party Ozgur Ozel and the mayor of the capital, Mansur Yavas. “A dawn police raid on a TV channel and the appointment of a trustee is a job that only dictators can do,” said Ozel, the leader of the Yeni Parti, expressing support for “freedom of the press” and Halk TV, one of the most popular news channels in Turkey and close to the opposition AKP party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Those who think they will discipline politics with the judiciary, journalism with law enforcement, and the will of the nation with the appointment of trustees are victims of the greatest delusion in history,” Ozel added.