Turkey's media board fines TV chains for Imamoglu coverage
Three channels were given harsh penalties for criticizing the Istanbul mayor's prison sentence and politics ban and for questioning Erdogan’s economic policies.
Turkey’s media watchdog slapped two television channels with fines and broadcast bans following their coverage of a prison sentence and political ban on Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The Radio and Television Supreme Council, or RTUK, fined Tele1 after its two leading commentators, editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardag and Prof. Emre Kongar, depicted the verdict against Imamoglu as “a coup against the will of the people” who elected the mayor in 2019.
Imamoglu, a possible rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next year’s presidential elections, was sentenced last week to more than two years in prison and banned from politics for “insulting” public officials. Recent polls say that many Turks, including supporters of the ruling party, find the decision unfair and politically motivated.
RTUK also fined HalkTV when two commentators reported that the opposition called Interior Affairs Minister Suleyman Soylu the “criminal affairs minister.” "Interior" and "criminal" rhyme in Turkish.
