Children’s TV channel, six others removed from Digitürk platform

ISTANBUL

Seven TV channels, including a children’s station, which belong to companies that are known to be close to the Fethullah Gülen movement, have been removed from one of Turkey’s leading pay satellite network and TV operators, Digitürk. 

Digitürk said in a statement on its website that they had removed the seven TV channels due to “legal obligations.”

The channels include Kanaltürk, Samanyolu TV, Mehtap TV, S Haber, Bugün TV, Yumurcak TV (a children’s TV channel) and Irmak TV.

The statement said a legal letter about an investigation conducted by the Investigation Bureau on Crimes against the Constitutional Order of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had arrived to them. 

“Due to the content of the aforementioned letter, Kanaltürk, Samanyolu TV, Mehtap TV, S Haber (Samanyolu Haber), Bugün TV, Yumurcak TV and Irmak TV channels have been removed from our platform due to legal obligations,” read the statement. The seven channels all belong to one of Koza İpek, Samanyolu Media and Feza Publications, which are long known to have close ties with the government’s friend-turned-foe, U.S. based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and his movement.

The media groups are under investigation for their ties to Gülen, who is the subject of two arrest warrants in Turkey on charges of establishing a “parallel state” within the state itself, especially in the judiciary and police department. 

Qatari media group beIN completed the takeover of Digitürk on July 13, while Qatari Emir Tammim bin Hamad al-Thani met and conferred with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan behind closed doors in Istanbul.

Digitürk’s decision has also drawn criticism from consumer associations to political figures, with all arguing that the platform violated the rights of its subscribers. Protecting the Consumer Association head Haşmet Atahan stressed that the decision violated the right to acquire information. Republican People’s Party (CHP) also raised concerns about the decision.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu harshly criticized the move, urging subscribers to cancel their subscription if Digitürk management does not withdraw the decision.

“The pressure on the media has reached a new level. [It’s been decided] seven channels will be removed from Digitürk with the letter of a prosecutor. This prosecutor clearly violated the law and the constitution. With this letter, he proved that he is the prosecutor of the government, not the republic,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

CHP deputy head Enis Berberoğlu said that private companies, banks, operators and digital platforms were acting like judges and prosecutors and making decisions accordingly.

“There is segregation in the media and this is unacceptable. This country has laws and the public have right to get information, to watch channels they want and read the newspapers they want. All obstacles in front of this should be overrun,” said Berberoğlu.

Meanwhile, CHP Istanbul deputy Mahmut Tanal submitted a parliamentary question over Digitürk’s decision.
In addition, Turkish Journalist Association has also urged refrain from unlawful implementations violating press freedom.

“After raids on media outlets, pressing guns to journalists’ head and beating [of journalists], the censorship implementations on digital broadcasting platforms in the hands of the government have reached a peak,” the association said in a statement.

In addition, the editor-in-chief of Samayolu Haber, one of the channels removed in Digiturk’s decision, Metin Yıkar, said that the decision was partial and wrong, vowing that they would defend their legal rights everywhere in the world.

The seven channels all belong to one of Koza İpek, Samanyolu Media and Feza Publications, which are long known to have close ties with the government’s friend-turned-foe, U.S. based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and his movement.

The media groups are under investigation for their ties to Gülen, who is the subject of two arrest warrants in Turkey on charges of establishing a “parallel state” within the state itself, especially in the judiciary and police department. 

Qatari media group beIN completed the takeover of Digitürk on July 13, while Qatari Emir Tammim bin Hamad al-Thani met and conferred with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan behind closed doors in Istanbul.