dpa
Istanbul
Following the arrest of 260 people in nationwide demonstrations against the jailing of popular opposition presidential challenger Ekrem Imamoglu, the Turkish government turned towards the media, banning some broadcasters and heavily fining them.
In a parallel crackdown on government-critical media, Turkey’s media watchdog RTÜK on Thursday imposed unprecedented penalties on several broadcasters, including Sözcü TV, Halk TV, Now TV and Tele 1. They are facing hefty fines and temporary blackouts for their coverage of the protests.
The opposition decried the fines as effectively silencing dissenting voices amid the escalating political fallout.
The crackdown follows the mass arrests as Turkey has seen its biggest protest wave and political crisis in over a decade.
A day before his detention on March 19, Imamoglu was stripped of his university diploma, a pre-requisite for Turkish presidential candidacy, then jailed and ousted as Istanbul mayor. Initially nearly 1,900 protestors were detained.
