Turkey's top court removes presidential aide's authority to supervise state-run news agency
Turkey's top court has deemed Turkish Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun's authorities on state-run Anadolu Agency "unconstitutional." The court canceled Altun's authority of supervision since it may harm the agency's impartiality.
Duvar English
Turkey's Constitutional Court has canceled Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun's authority to supervise state-run Anadolu Agency due to being "unconstitutional."
The top court said that Altun's authority of supervision on the agency's activities, organization and human rights management may harm its impartiality, ankaragazetecisi.com reported on Feb. 24.
According to the court, the Anadolu Agency's reports are "autonomous and impartial" and so its supervision by the Communications Directorate that's a part of the executive power may harm those qualities.
The authority was granted to Altun by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after Turkey switched to an executive presidential system. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in 2019 took the regulation to the top court on the grounds that it's "unconstitutional."
Although the top court claimed that the Anadolu Agency's reports are "autonomous and impartial," it's a well-known fact that the agency uses the official state language to praise the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) when its coverage of the opposition is very limited.