Turkey’s media watchdog fines opposition Halk TV, cancels five broadcasts of Ayşenur Arslan’s program

Turkey's media watchdog RTÜK has penalized journalist Ayşenur Arslan’s program on the opposition Halk TV station with a five-time broadcast cancellation regarding her remarks on the latest PKK bombing. RTÜK also fined the TV channel for actor and director Ezel Akay’s remarks regarding the canceled Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

Thursday October 05 2023 02:59 pm

Duvar English

Turkey's Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK) has issued a monetary fine on TV channel Halk TV over comments of actor and director Ezel Akay and suspended Ayşenur Arslan’s program for five episodes.

In her evening segment on opposition Halk TV discussing the Oct. 1 PKK bombing, Arslan on Oct. 2 questioned the manner and method of the attack and said, “Maybe he (the bomber) didn’t know he had a remote-controlled explosive on him. It is pointless that he detonated the explosive without doing anything,” adding “I do not understand why he chose to do it so blatantly when it is possible to remotely detonate a car-bomb.”

RTÜK found the remarks of Arslan “contrary to the principles of broadcasting.”

The watchdog imposed an administrative fine of five percent on Halk TV and canceled five episodes of the relevant program over Arslan's remarks, the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) RTÜK member Tuncay Keser announced on Oct. 4.

RTÜK, Gazeteci Ayşenur Arslan’ın Ankara'daki bombalı saldırı ile ilgili gazetecilik faaliyeti olarak gündeme getirdiği sorular nedeniyle Halk TV’ye yüzde 5 idari para cezası ve “Medya Mahallesi”ne 5 kez program durdurma cezası verdi.
— Tuncay Keser (@tuncayksr) October 4, 2023

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Arslan on Oct. 3 for “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “praising crime and criminals” for her remarks and she was temporarily detained on the same day.

Halk TV already announced the cancellation of Arslan's program after her remarks.

RTÜK also imposed an administrative fine of three percent on Halk TV for actor and director Ezel Akay’s remarks on the 60th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

Akay told Halk TV that “This country has a long tradition of killing, torturing and imprisoning its thoughtful writers and journalists. This tradition should be completely eliminated and all thoughts that do not harm someone else's life should be freely expressed. I demand this.”

The 60th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival was canceled after the Culture Ministry's pressures about a political documentary titled '”The Decree” “(Kanun Hükmü),” focusing on the struggle of two civil servants dismissed by a decree-law after the 2016 coup attempt.

Keser said he and another RTÜK member İlhan Taşçı voted against both decisions.