ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkish police raided the Istanbul headquarters of Halk TV, one of the country’s most-watched news channels, early Wednesday, cutting live broadcasts and paving the way for a government-appointed administrator to run the outlet, BBC News reported.
Financial crimes officers searched the building and took 11 people into custody in a probe linked to channel chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu, Turkish media said. Prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 17 people on allegations of bribery, tender-rigging and money laundering. Mahiroğlu, reportedly abroad during the raid, said seven relatives were among those detained and called it “a dark day for Turkey,” arguing the public’s right to information was being seized for political reasons.
Halk’s linear channel and YouTube livestreams were offline early Wednesday. Journalists were initially locked out, then allowed back under a heavy police presence, the BBC said. The channel is widely seen as close to the opposition Republican People’s Party and frequently criticizes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK Party.
The Istanbul Bar Association condemned the raid, noting it came hours before imprisoned opposition figure Ekrem İmamoğlu was due to open his defence against corruption charges. Opposition leader Özgür Özel called the dawn raid and trustee appointment “something only dictators do.”
Turkey ranked 159th of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, with RSF saying about 90% of national media is under government control. Authorities seized control of another critical channel, Tele1, in October 2025, stripping it of hard-news content.
Sources: BBC News
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