Turkish police have raided the headquarters of a pro-opposition TV channel, halting its live broadcasts.
Halk TV said its employees were unable to enter the building in Istanbul on Wednesday morning, and that a new manager had been appointed to run the channel.
Reports in Turkish media said financial crimes police were searching the building and 11 people had been taken into custody in the raid linked to the channel’s owner.
Halk TV has been seen by many in the country as being close to the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). It often voices criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling AK party.
The station’s news channel and live broadcasts on its YouTube page were both offline early on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said arrest warrants had been issued for 17 people as part of the investigation into Halk chairman Cafer Mahiroğlu on allegations of bribery, rigging tenders and money laundering, Turkish media reported.
Mahiroğlu, who was reportedly not in the country during the raid, wrote on social media that seven members of his family were among those detained.
“Today is a dark day for Turkey,” he said in a video message. “The public’s right to information is being seized for political reasons.”
The Istanbul Bar Association denounced the move, which it noted came hours before Ekrem Imamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan’s biggest political rival, was due to begin his defence against corruption charges in court, for which he has been in prison for over a year.
