Turkish authorities have taken control of opposition-aligned broadcaster Halk TV after police raided its headquarters in Istanbul, halted its live broadcasts and detained 11 people in a corruption investigation involving the channel’s chairman.
The operation took place early on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, after the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into Halk TV chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu over alleged bribery, tender-rigging and money laundering, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 17 people, including Mahiroğlu, and 11 were taken into custody, according to Reuters. Mahiroğlu, who was outside Turkey, was not among those detained.
Authorities also seized companies linked to Mahiroğlu and appointed the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund as trustee to oversee them, the prosecutor’s office said.
Halk TV announced the development in a post on X shortly before 7am on Wednesday, writing, “Police raid at Halk TV headquarters! A trustee (manager) has been appointed, broadcasts have been halted,” Euronews reported on Wednesday.
The broadcaster’s live television transmission was cut at about 6:30am local time, after which pre-recorded material began airing. Its live broadcasts on YouTube were also offline, according to Reuters and Euronews.
Halk TV journalists reported being prevented from entering the building as police searched its offices.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Halk TV journalist Gamze Altunay said the channel’s management had been placed under a trustee and its broadcasting systems seized.
“At Halk TV, the management is now under a trustee. Broadcasting systems have been seized. Our channel is literally under blockade,” she wrote, according to Euronews.
The operation drew criticism from opposition politicians and press freedom advocates.
Turkey’s main opposition leader, Özgür Özel, condemned the takeover in a post on X on Wednesday.
“Dawn raid on a television channel, appointing a trustee — only dictators would do such a thing,” Özel wrote, according to Reuters.
He also accused the authorities of undermining the public’s will by extending trustee appointments from municipalities to a broadcaster watched by millions.
The takeover came hours before the start of defence arguments in the corruption trial of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 400 other defendants linked to Istanbul’s municipality, Euronews reported on Wednesday.
Halk TV has extensively covered İmamoğlu’s imprisonment and legal proceedings. The mayor is a prominent opposition figure and a political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The development has renewed concerns about press freedom in Turkey, where authorities have previously appointed trustees to other media outlets, according to Reuters.
The allegations against Mahiroğlu remain under investigation. The appointment of a trustee and the seizure of companies do not, in themselves, establish his guilt.