Halk TV’s chief editor, Suat Toktaş, has been arrested following the broadcast of a phone interview with a court-appointed expert whose identity was previously revealed by İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Toktaş was one of five Halk TV journalists detained as part of an investigation launched over the airing of the recording.
The arrests began on Jan 29 with journalist Barış Pehlivan, who had interviewed the expert witness, outside Halk TV's İstanbul studios. Later, program host Seda Selek was detained in İstanbul, and Halk TV’s manager responsible for legal affairs, Serhan Asker, was detained in Ankara. Toktaş and Halk TV's programming director Kürşat Oğuz were later also detained.
They were charged with “recording private conversations without consent” and “attempting to influence an expert witness” as per rticles 132-133 and 277 of the Turkish Penal Code.
Prosecutors allege that Halk TV aired the phone conversation without permission, disclosed the expert’s name, and used language that could influence the outcome of ongoing investigations.
In response to the accusations, the broadcaster said yesterday in a written statement that the interview enabled the expert witness to exercise his right to respond to İmamoğlu's statements.
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Context of the case
On Jan 27, Mayor İmamoğlu publicly identified the expert as someone involved in multiple investigations targeting municipalities run by his Republican People’s Party (CHP), implying that the expert’s repeated assignments indicated political interference. These investigations have led to the arrests of CHP district mayors from Beşiktaş and Esenyurt on charges of irregularities in procurement processes.
Prosecutors also opened an investigation against İmamoğlu for “attempting to influence the judiciary” following his statements.
Yesterday, Toktaş and Halk TV programming director Kürşat Oğuz were also detained. Meanwhile, Selek and Asker were released Wednesday evening after 24 hours in custody. Both were subjected to judicial control measures, including a travel ban.
Toktaş, Pehlivan, and Oğuz were referred to court later that evening with a request for their arrest.
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Court ruling
The İstanbul 5th Penal Judgeship of Peace announced its decision early today at around 1.13 am. Suat Toktaş was ordered to be held in pretrial detention, while Pehlivan and Oğuz were released under judicial control. Their release conditions include signing in with authorities three times a week and a travel ban.
Journalist Barış Terkoğlu later read out the court’s ruling on Halk TV, highlighting the reasoning behind Toktaş’s detention. According to the court, Toktaş should have ensured that permission was obtained before broadcasting the recording, given his extensive journalistic experience. The judge claimed that “there was no public interest” in airing the phone call. However, the court did not provide an explanation regarding the public benefit of Toktaş's detention itself.
Journalists denounce the ruling
Speaking outside the courthouse, Pehlivan and Oğuz condemned Toktaş’s detention as unjust and unlawful. Pehlivan said, “We are furious. Justice has not been served. Our chief editor Suat Toktaş was sent to prison without any legal or just basis. He is a victim of injustice simply because he acted as a journalist.”
Pehlivan called on viewers to support the network. “Our fight is not over. We expect all our viewers to stand by Halk TV,” he said.
Oğuz echoed those sentiments, emphasizing the network’s commitment to its audience. “We entered this process as three people and came out as two. We’ve always been by the people's side, and now we hope the people will stand by Suat Toktaş and Halk TV even more,” he stated.
Thanking supporters for their solidarity, Oğuz vowed to continue fighting for Toktaş’s release. “You’ve shown us the power of resistance. Perhaps that’s why we are free today. But we will also bring Suat back.”
BIA Media Monitoring Reports
(AEK/VK)
