Media authority RTÜK imposes a fine in one out of every two decisions

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Vice Chair and İstanbul MP Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi has prepared a report regarding the fines imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK).

The report of the MP has demonstrated that while the media authority suspended the broadcast of television and radio channels for a single time in 2016, this number increased to 263 programs in 2020.

Akkuş İlgezdi has referred to the recent decisions and "anti-Constitutional sanctions" imposed by the RTÜK, noting that it has "turned into an indispensable weapon of the climate of surveillance and censorship."

The CHP MP has underlined that the RTÜK has been "working as a tool to silence the dissident press, which has taken up the task of conveying the truth to society and doing informative broadcasts."

According to the report, the RTÜK suspended 671 programs in total from January 1, 2014 to May 4, 2021. Akkuş İlgezdi has stressed that "505 of these suspensions, which account for 75 percent, were imposed between 2019 and 2021, when the One Man Regime was in power."

72 percent of decisions imposed a fine

The MP has said that in the period of January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2021, the RTÜK gave a total of 11 thousand 220 decisions.

"In 72 percent of these decisions, media outlets were fined," Akkuş İlgezdi has noted: "In this period, a total of 6 thousand 281 administrative fines were imposed on media outlets. The share of administrative fines imposed by the RTÜK in all decisions taken is 56 percent. In other words, in one out of every two decisions, the RTÜK, which is used as an instrument of pressure and intimidation by the government after 2014, imposed fines on channels."

According to CHP Vice Chair Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi, in 2014, the RTÜK imposed a total of 373 administrative fines. However, after the Presidential Government System was adopted in 2019, this number increased by 232 percent when compared to 2014 and became 1,239 in total.

'91 percent of blackouts in one man rule'

The MP has further indicated that from 2014 to 2021, the media authority RTÜK imposed blackouts for 1,363 times in total. "1,234 (91 percent) of these blackouts were imposed in the One-Man Regime."

In 2020-2021, opposition channels such as Halk TV, KRT and TELE 1 were given administrative fines 39 times. These channels were fined at least 1 million 290 thousand lira in 2020, when the total amount of fines imposed on FOX TV was at least 11 thousand 500 lira.

CHP MP Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi has underlined that the pro-government media outlets such as AKİT TV, Ülke TV, 24 TV, Beyaz TV, ATV, A Haber were given only nine administrative fines in the same period. (HA/SD)