Trustee appointed to Halk TV, broadcasting halted — left-wing parties issue solidarity call

Police raided the Halk TV building in Istanbul, halting the channel's broadcast; a court appointed a trustee to oversee the channel's management. The operation coincided with the hours when Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu presented his defense in his trial.

The SOL Party characterized the intervention as a move to narrow the opposition's space. The party's statement included the phrase "We stand shoulder to shoulder with Halk TV for the people's right to information." Other left-wing parties and democratic mass organizations also issued similar statements calling for solidarity; they argued that the government is attempting to suppress opposition media and societal dissent.

Halk TV is not the first opposition media outlet subjected to trustee administration. Similar administrative processes were applied to Tele1 in 2022 and to other independent digital channels in 2023.

The fact that the operation coincided with a critical hearing in the İmamoğlu case strengthened claims of political connection among opposition circles. As of this moment, information about the legal basis for the trustee decision and when the channel would resume broadcasting remained unclear.