# Turkish police raid Halk TV and a state trustee takes control

Date: 2026

Turkish police raided the Istanbul offices of opposition-leaning broadcaster Halk TV on 14 October 2026, its live broadcasts and YouTube stream were taken off air, and a government-appointed trustee was put in charge. The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office said its financial crimes unit was investigating chairman Cafer Mahiroglu over bribery, tender rigging and laundering of criminal proceeds; 17 detention warrants were issued and 11 people detained. Mahiroglu, who was abroad, rejected the allegations as political. Reuters reported that Halk TV was the fifth major Turkish news outlet placed under a trustee, after Flash TV, Eko Turk, Haberturk and Tele1, renewing concern about [media freedom](/drivers/media-freedom) in Turkey.

## Sources

- https://apnews.com/article/59176d1028ef288e959f06e123dd7009
- https://www.fidelity.com/news/article/default/202610140135RTRSNEWSCOMBINED_KBN3VU0KY-OUSWD_1
- https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/14/turkish-police-take-pro-opposition-channel-halk-tv-off-air-and-arrest-11-in-istanbul-raid

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/halk-tv-trustee-raid-2026-10-14