Amnesty International said an Oct. 14 police raid and state takeover of Halk TV threatened independent reporting in Turkey, placing another opposition broadcaster under state control.
A state trustee was appointed to the channel, Amnesty said in a statement. Amnesty said the takeover appeared to be an attempt to silence opposition voices and called for Halk TV’s independent operations to be restored. It cited the earlier seizure of TELE1 as a precedent.
Amnesty International’s Turkey campaigner Milena Buyum called the Halk TV intervention a “brutal attack on media freedom in Turkey” in an interview with France 24. She pointed to the detention of journalists and limits on independent digital platforms, as well as trustee appointments, as signs of pressure extending beyond one broadcaster.
France 24’s summary of the interview said pressure on independent journalism had intensified since March 2025. Amnesty’s statement linked the latest takeover to its concern that opposition outlets are losing the ability to operate independently.
