Turkish police raid opposition TV station, halting live broadcasts

14 October 2026, 07: 32 BST. Updated 11 minutes ago.

Key points

• Istanbul's popular Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan's biggest political rival, has been in prison for over a year over corruption accusations.
• Halk TV has been seen by plenty of in the country as being close to the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
• The station's news channel and live broadcasts on its YouTube page were both offline early on Wednesday.
• In May, a Turkish court removed the CHP leadership from running the party, in a move the opposition remarked further cemented Erdoğan's grip on power.
• Reports in Turkish media remarked financial crimes police were searching the building and 11 residents had been taken into custody in the raid linked to the channel's owner.

Turkish police have raided the headquarters of a pro-opposition TV channel, halting its live broadcasts.

Halk TV remarked its employees were unable to enter the building in Istanbul on Wednesday morning, and that a new manager had been appointed to run the channel.

Halk TV has been seen by plenty of in the country as being close to the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). It often voices criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AK party.

Notably, the station's news channel and live broadcasts on its YouTube page were both offline early on Wednesday.

Prosecutors remarked arrest warrants had been issued for 17 residents as part of the investigation into Halk chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu on allegations of bribery, rigging tenders and funds laundering, Turkish media noted.

Mahiroğlu, who was reportedly not in the country during the raid, wrote on social media that the channel "belongs to the Turkish individuals. It cannot be seized and surrendered to a trustee".

Meanwhile, Istanbul's popular Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan's biggest political rival, has been in prison for over a year over corruption accusations. He denies all the charges.

For now, turkish police raid opposition TV station, halting live broadcasts remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.