Government ramps up election preparations as clash with Imamoglu escalates

You may have heard the pro-opposition Halk TV’s name at least a few times last week while perusing Turkish-medium papers or scrolling through X. Five prominent names of the channel were briefly detained, including the channel’s Editor-in-Chief, Suat Toktas who remains under arrest.

The process quickly became a hot topic as Halk TV held a significant follower base among opposition audiences. The channel gained popularity during the Gezi Park protests in 2013 because it was the only broadcaster covering the protests live for many days while pro-government channels were accused of ignoring the events, diverting attention.

Quick reminder: The government staunchly accused foreign powers of instigating the protests while the Turkish economy was at its peak. Billions of dollars’ worth of damages were done at the time. Within days, the peaceful protests escalated, with some wielding Molotov cocktails and handguns in public, causing major chaos. CNN International sent a “war correspondent” to cover the protests. The government has since adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy over the matter.

So, what are the recent developments on Halk TV?

On Jan. 28, Halk TV journalists Baris Pehlivan, Seda Selek and Serhan Asker were detained on charges of “recording and disclosing private conversations with an official” and “attempting to influence an expert witness.” Pehlivan was detained for recording the conversation, Selek for publicly broadcasting it and Asker as the legally viable manager who enabled it.

A day later, on Jan. 29, Toktas and Program Coordinator Kursad Oguz were detained. Apart from Toktas, all have been released, but Pehlivan’s legal proceedings continue. Even one of the channel’s journalists acknowledged that it was a journalistic mistake; however, he commented that the response was disproportionate.

Fight between government and Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu

On the same day on Wednesday, the bar associations from 52 provinces released a press statement against the detention of journalists—of which some 15 have been detained since Dec. 22. Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s chairman Ozgur Ozel released the following message: “The government is openly applying enemy law to everyone who is not its own. Finally, arresting (Mr.) Suat Toktas for his work as a journalist is a clear attack not only on freedom of the press but also on the public’s right to receive information.”

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc weighed in on the matter, commenting, “There is not a single journalist imprisoned in Türkiye for journalism. No one is arrested for their journalistic activity. In our country, the press is free, but journalists are not untouchable. When they commit a crime, the prosecutor’s office steps in. Can you disclose a phone call with a person without their consent? … If it is published, it is defined as a crime in the law.”

Halk TV is Türkiye’s second-largest opposition TV network after Sozcu TV and is known to be a close supporter of CHP’s Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu seems like the opposition’s next presidential candidate and this record of success in elections is remarkable. He won local elections in Istanbul twice, beating the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) election machine.

Many independent analysts stated that the Halk TV case is a piece of a broader fight between the government and Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu.