European Parliament Questions Commission Over Halk TV and Turkey Funding

Seventeen members of the European Parliament from the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Renew Europe groups have submitted a written question to the European Commission, demanding clarification of its position on the appointment of a judicial trustee to the Turkish opposition channel Halk TV and the suspension of its broadcast.

The questions centered on three axes: how the Commission assesses this measure in light of the European Union's fundamental rights framework, whether it constitutes a serious regression in the field of press freedom, and whether it could lead to a reduction or suspension of pre-accession European aid.

Italian MEP Dario Nardella pointed to the timing of the decision, stressing that the appointment of the trustee came on the day that ousted Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu began defending himself before the court, considering this a blow to democracy. French MEP Sandro Gozi, for his part, stressed that Halk TV was the channel that conveyed Imamoglu's defense to the public, noting that Imamoglu has been in prison since March 2024.

Security forces had entered the channel's headquarters in Istanbul on the fourteenth of October 2024 as part of an investigation conducted by the public prosecutor against its owner, Cafer Mahiroglu, on charges of bribery, bid-rigging and money laundering, after which the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) transferred the channel's management to a judicial trustee and halted its regular broadcast.

Under European regulations, the Commission has the right to reduce or suspend pre-accession assistance if a serious regression in the field of fundamental rights or the rule of law is established, but it has so far taken no decision on the matter. The Commission has six weeks to respond to the written question.