Shutdown of Major TV Channels in Turkey on Charges of Corruption and Money Laundering

In a controversial move, the Turkish public prosecutor seized today, Thursday, September 11, a group of 121 companies including three major television stations, and issued orders to detain 10 of the directors of these channels, as part of extensive investigations related to allegations of corruption and fraud.

These actions targeted the company "Can Holding", which has significant assets in the energy and education sectors, and which last year purchased several prominent television channels, including "Habertürk", "Show TV", and "Bloomberg HT", which are part of the "Bloomberg News" network.

The public prosecutor in the Küçükçekmece area of Istanbul revealed evidence indicating that a "criminal organization" had been established through subsidiaries of "Can Holding", where crimes such as fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering were committed.

Consequently, the prosecutor ordered the detention of ten senior management members of "Can Holding", including the owners, along with placing the assets of their 121 companies under the control of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund in Turkey.

This campaign comes at a sensitive time, as the Turkish government tightens its grip on the media, raising concerns from international organizations such as "Reporters Without Borders", which warned that these measures could lead to further restrictions on press freedom in Turkey.

The organization's representative in Turkey, Erol Önderoğlu, noted that the operation may have its justifications within the framework of combating corruption, yet at the same time, it could be used to entrench a single voice dominance in Turkish media.

In a related context, Turkey has witnessed a series of arrests in recent months as part of investigations related to corruption in the Istanbul municipality;

in March 2025, the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, one of the prominent political rivals of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested, leading to a wave of protests not seen in Turkey since 2013.

In the latest developments of the investigations, Turkish police detained 44 individuals last August, including the mayor of Beyoğlu İnan Güneş, and several close employees of the mayor of Istanbul, in addition to officials in media companies affiliated with the Istanbul municipality.

Turkish authorities continue to carry out anti-corruption operations, while these measures raise questions about their impact on the political and media landscape in the country.