The Erdogan administration denied information about the restriction of television broadcasting

The administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, March 23, denied information about the order given to television channels to interrupt live broadcasts amid protests in support of the detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

"All live broadcasts on television were stopped by order of RTÜK (Supreme Council for Radio and Television. — Ed.)," it was reported in some print publications and the media, as well as distributed on social networks. This statement does not correspond to reality," reads a political statement published in X (ex. Twitter).

RTÜK recalled that punishments, including long-term suspension of broadcasting and license cancellation, can be applied to broadcasters who broadcast outside the law.

Violations of the law include: calls for the public to take to the streets, statements on behalf of illegal organizations, biased broadcasting activities that violate individual rights, as well as statements and broadcasts that insult and threaten government officials, members of the judiciary, investigating officers, security services and law enforcement agencies.

In this regard, representatives of the council urged not to stop the live broadcast, but to comply with the provisions of the aforementioned law, the agency explained.

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Earlier in the day, Turkish television stopped live broadcasts of the protests. Currently, the current situation continues to be discussed on the air, but viewers are shown pre-recorded speeches by politicians or information about events that have already occurred.

During the protests, the police detained almost 350 people. The day before, it was also reported that police in Istanbul used tear gas against protesters. On March 20, the Turkish Interior Minister announced that six policemen had been injured during a protest in Istanbul. Rallies on this day were also held in Ankara.

Law enforcement agencies issued a warrant for the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19. According to media reports, an anti-corruption operation has been launched against the Istanbul administration. It concerns the holding of city tenders, as well as clarifying the details of the interaction of opposition officials with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.