The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has issued a five-day broadcast suspension for TELE1, a pro-opposition TV network, over comments made by anchor Merdan Yanardağ during a recent program.
The media watchdog ordered the blackout following remarks aired on Jul 15, the ninth anniversary of the 2016 coup attempt, during Yanardağ’s program “4 Questions 4 Answers.”
In the broadcast, Yanardağ remarked, “July 15 was an Islamist coup attempt. The main party responsible for this coup is the AKP government.”
RTÜK concluded that the statement violated Article 8 of the country’s broadcasting law, which prohibits incitement to hatred based on factors such as religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation.
The sanction was imposed immediately, without waiting for the outcome of TELE1’s legal appeal.
At midnight on Aug 31, TELE1 displayed RTÜK’s decision in white text on a black screen, citing the council’s ruling number 2025/29. The suspension applies to all programming for five consecutive days.
Condemnations from journalist groups
Journalist unions and press organizations condemned the move, holding a solidarity demonstration at TELE1’s Ankara office.
Speaking there, Nazmi Bilgin, head of the Journalists’ Association of Turkey (Gazeteciler Cemiyeti), said, “Silencing the screen will not change people’s thoughts. The blackout penalty, which has no equivalent in democratic countries, must be removed from our lives.”
Kıvanç El, head of the Progressive Journalists’ Association (ÇGD), called the penalty part of a broader pattern, saying, “They want us to get used to blackouts.”
Noting recent similar actions against Sözcü TV and Halk TV, El said, “They’re trying to create the impression that opposition media are committing crimes. But there is no crime other than journalism.”
BIA Media Monitoring Reports
Turgut Dedeoğlu of the DİSK Press Workers' Union (Basın İş) accused RTÜK of acting beyond its constitutional limits. “We may not recognize these decisions, but they keep doing what they want,” he said. “Violations of constitutional rights don’t expire. Sooner or later, there will be consequences.”
Sinan Tartanoğlu, Ankara representative of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), said, “RTÜK cannot decide whether we are journalists. There is only one way to practice journalism, and that is according to universal principles.”
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel also voiced support. “The screen will be blacked out by people with darkened hearts. We stand fully behind TELE1," he remarked during a rally in Sinop yesterday.
Response from RTÜK
In response to the criticism, RTÜK Chair Ebubekir Şahin dismissed the backlash as a manipulation campaign. “We are once again facing a perception operation,” he said. “Some are ignoring the facts and trying to carry out a public lynching.”
Şahin questioned whether the statements at the center of the penalty could be considered responsible journalism. “Are these remarks examples of press freedom or incitement to hatred? Is it freedom of thought to support a terrorist group that attempted a coup?” he said. (HA/VK)
