Turkish police raid opposition TV station, halting live broadcasts

Turkish police have raided the headquarters of one of the country's most-watched news channel, halting its live broadcasts.

Halk TV, which is pro-opposition, said its employees were unable to enter the building in Istanbul on Wednesday morning. The government also appointed a new administrator to run the channel.

Reports in Turkish media said financial crimes police were searching the building and 11 people had been taken into custody in the raid linked to the channel's owner.

It is the latest in a series of crackdowns on news sources deemed to be critical of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and his government.

Two weeks ago, officials closed a leading news site because of what they called its "LGBT propaganda".

Halk's news channel and live broadcasts on its YouTube page were both offline early on Wednesday.

The channel has been seen by many in the country as being close to the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). It often voices criticism of Erdoğan's ruling AK party.

Prosecutors said arrest warrants had been issued for 17 people as part of the investigation into Halk chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu on allegations of bribery, rigging tenders and money laundering, Turkish media reported.

Mahiroğlu, who was reportedly not in the country during the raid, wrote on social media that seven members of his family were among those detained.

"Today is a dark day for Turkey," he said in a video message. "The public's right to information is being seized for political reasons."

The Istanbul Bar Association denounced the move, which it noted came hours before Ekrem Imamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan's biggest political rival, was due to begin his defence against corruption charges in court, for which he has been in prison for over a year.

Özgür Özel, leader of the opposition New Party, called the raid "weak and cowardly".

"Storming a TV channel with a police raid at dawn and appointing a trustee is something only dictators do," he wrote on social media.

Özel set up the party after being removed as the CHP's leader by a court in May and replaced by a party veteran who had previously been voted out, in a move which further cemented Erdoğan's grip on power.

Turkey ranked 163rd out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2026 World Press Freedom Index, external.

The organisation stated that 90% of national media outlets were under government control and criticised the "abusive prosecution" of critical publications in the country, which Erdoğan has led since 2003.

The vast majority of Turkish media is seen as pro-government after years of state legal and financial pressure, corporate acquisitions and self-censorship.

In September, a court ordered the blocking of access to the website and social media accounts of T24, on the grounds that it had published "LGBT propaganda".

In October 2025, the authorities seized control of Tele1, another pro-opposition TV channel, appointing a trustee to oversee broadcasts, which were stripped of all hard-news content.

The channel still exists but its pro-opposition stance has been completely neutralised.

Turkey demands more than 2,000 years in jail for popular Istanbul mayor