Turkish pro-opposition television channel hit with fines

Turkey's journalists' association on Wednesday criticised fines imposed by the country's media regulator on four pro-opposition television channels during the election campaign, saying they "penalise the public's right to information".

The Supreme Council of Radio and Television (RTUK) targeted Tele 1, Fox TV, Halk TV and Flash Haber for comments made by some of their guests ahead of the elections.

The journalists' association president Nazmi Bilgin said it was an "unacceptable violation of the public's right to receive information and make electoral choices".

"(The) merciless punishment of the right to free expression" had "transformed the regulator into an instrument of the government to silence the opposition and those who criticise it," he said in a statement.

As Erdogan stays in power, what's next for Turkey's opposition? 👇

✍ @YleniaGostoli https://t.co/oKWx7JxGSK

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 31, 2023

The level of the fines, which was not specified, will be determined by the channels' advertising revenues.

Erol Onderoglu, Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), told AFP the outlets "regularly receive fines that are disproportionate to their revenues".

RSF said that during the election campaign, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected for five years on May 28, enjoyed 60 times more airtime than the opposition.

In 2023, Turkey was dropped to 165th out of 180 countries on RSF's media freedom index, from 149 the previous year.