CPJ slams Turkey’s seizure of TELE1, calls for journalist’s release
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 29 October 2025 | CPJ News Alert
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Turkish authorities detained TELE1's editor-in-chief Merdan Yanarda? and seized control of the broadcaster. The CPJ demands his release, citing concerns for press freedom.Summary
ISTANBUL—Turkish authorities should release TELE1 editor-in-chief Merdan YanardaÄŸ and withdraw the order to assign a trustee to seize control of the outlet, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.
Istanbul police detained YanardaÄŸ on October 24, and on October 27, a court arrested him pending trial as part of a political “espionage” investigation in which the imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu is also a suspect. Turkish authorities also assigned a trustee to the critical outlet TELE1, which ended its scheduled broadcasting on Friday. The broadcaster’s YouTube channel, which had over 76,000 videos and over a million subscribers, was briefly inaccessible.
“Seizing one of the few remaining critical broadcasters in Turkey and arraigning journalist Merdan YanardaÄŸ over vague accusations of espionage is a tremendous blow to the country’s press freedom record,” said Özgür ÖÄŸret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Turkish authorities should immediately release YanardaÄŸ and return control of the broadcaster back to TELE1 executives.”
YanardaÄŸ rejected the accusation of espionage in his testimony to the authorities, stating he did not take money from the government informant who named him as a spy, and that he was being framed. The chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul released a statement on Friday in which YanardaÄŸ was accused of involvement in “election manipulation” alongside the informant.
CPJ’s email to the prosecutor’s office asking for comment did not receive a reply.
Photo caption: An Istanbul court arrested TELE1 editor-in-chief Merdan YanardaÄŸ as part of a political “espionage” investigation in which the imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu, seen here, is also a suspect. (Photo: Reuters/Dilara Senkaya)
Key Points
- CPJ demands the release of Merdan Yanarda?.
- TELE1 has been taken over by a trustee following the seizure.
- Yanarda? faces allegations of involvement in espionage.
- The situation poses a threat to press freedom in Turkey.
- The CPJ highlights the broader implications for journalism in the country.
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