Türkiye’s expression and freedom of press freedom has been making headlines in Germany for years. Boundaries without reporters of non-governmental organization have ranked 159 out of 180 countries in its Global Press Freedom Index 2025.At the moment, officially four people are in jail for their journalism activities. While this is a significant decline since a few years ago, the government is constantly looking for new ways to suppress independent journalism. For example, passports of media professionals released from jail have been stopped, so they are not able to leave the country. Foreign journalists are also unable to function independently in Türkiye, as the arrest of Swedish journalist Kaz Jokim Medin Show.According to estimates from the border without Borders and the International Press Institute (IPI) reporters, more than 95 percent of Turkey media is considered close to the government. This means that they are either directly or indirectly run by the people loyal to the government.
New wave of repression
Supervisors report systematic intervention in journalism work. Berk Essen, a political scientist at the Sabesi University in Istanbul, said, “The media’s freedom situation in Türkiye has been tense for 20 years.” The government’s intervention has gradually worsened the situation. “The remaining mainstream broadcasters have been systematically brought into line in the last few years. Whatever remains is a handful of stations close to the opposition.”Now political pressure has taken into a new form: Turkish’s two largest TV stations will not be allowed to broadcast any program for 10 days to the government’s important, Sozku TV and Hulk TV. Broadcasting ban came into force on Tuesday according to Radio and Television Supreme Council, or Short, RTük’s decision. The decision was appropriate with the allegation of “provoking people”.Hulk TV’s ban is due to the statements made by a studio guest on 26 June. The guest had said: “Türkiye is not becoming more religious, but is more communal.”In the case of Sözcü tv, RTük, according to observers, judged live broadcast of protests after the arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor and Presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu. Imamoglu has been in custody since March and is considered a promising rival for the most important opposition politician and President Recep Erdogan.“The government intended to weaken the opposition quickly by arresting Imamoglu. It did not work, the Imamoglu has become even more popular with the opponents of the government. That is why the government is changing its strategy and increasing pressure on other areas,” analyzes Essen.
Criticism is no longer tolerated
On Monday, a day before the ten-day broadcast ban came into force, a court upheld the appeal by Hulk TV lawyers and suspended the enforcement for the time. Nevertheless, broadcasting restrictions are seen as a new growth in the handling of press freedom. For the first time, two opposition broadcasters were silenced for the same day and the same period. The Turkish Journalist Association, or TGC said, “With these punishments, RTük is trying to report the media from reporting on public affairs and pressing important voices.”The largest opposition party deputy leader, Gox Goxen, expressed his displeasure: “Broadcasting restrictions impress the stations that have shown how the allegations against our local political representatives have been baseless. It is not a coincidence. The fact that the fact is that the fact that the fact that the fact that the fact is that it is not the fact that it is not fact. [oppositional] The Republican People’s Party, or CHP, has become the strongest party in Türkiye, and the press is being punished for reporting on it. Finally, people themselves are being silenced. ,Cafar Mahiroglu, CEO of Hulk TV, warned that the move could make a complete return of the broadcast license after the move.In addition, the synergy of the European Parliament on Turkey, Nacho Sanchez Amor, wrote on X, “I suspect that George Orwell can also think of something like RTük! (…) The freedom of media speech is becoming a distant memory in Turkey. Now there is a generation that never knows it and it is very sad.”
Economic pressure is increasing
The results of those restrictions are also economically serious. Without advertising revenue, opposition broadcasters are basically unable to survive. The Turkish Journalist Association said, “The media that severely reports on the government is put under pressure and becomes financially weak.”According to the Media and Legal Studies Association (MLSA), RTük imposed a fine of 124 million Turkish Lira (around € 4 meters at the exchange rate) between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2024 and ordered to be aired in 1357 cases. In the first half of 2023 alone, five opposition broadcasters were fined about 20 million Turkish Lira (at that time), while the pro -government media remained almost untouched.
An important stage for Turkish
TV Bain hit Turkey politically stressed: Peace process with PKK is creating controversy. In addition, several high -ranked opposition CHP politicians are in custody. Former mayor, tank sire, former Izmi, has been subject to arrest since weekends. Türkiye’s third largest city is considered a CHP stronghold and was the first one of the previous major cities with a majority in an opposition party.“The government wants to control instead of ending it in the present. Certainly, it could change in the future,” analyst Essen told DW, stating that the press freedom could deteriorate despite the highly stressful situation. “We don’t yet kill the rock bottom,” he is afraid.
