Digital satellite platform Digitürk on Thursday joined two other media platforms that previously banned critical media in a government-backed move to stop broadcasting TV channels Bugün TV, Kanaltürk, Yumurcak TV, Mehtap TV, Irmak TV, Shaber and Samanyolu. These TV channels are known for their critical stance against the government. TV service provider Turkcell TV and online streaming service Tivibu had previously banned the same seven channels. The legal reasoning declared by the three platforms is an order from the Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office, Today’s Zaman writes.

The digital platform's controversial move, which comes just ahead of a critical snap general election slated for November 1, has attracted vehement criticism from various circles including politicians, consumer associations, press organizations and many others in society, prompting many subscribers to tear up their contracts with the company.
As of Oct. 8, Digiturk, which has almost 3 million subscribers, stopped broadcasting Bugün TV, Kanaltürk, Shaber, Samanyolu, Mehtap TV, Irmak TV and children's channel Yumurcak TV.

Many social media users angered by Digiturk's decision to stop broadcasting the seven channels wrote to their account managers that they would be terminating their contracts with the company. Some Twitter users posted photos showing the petitions they have sent to the company to end their contracts while some other users posted videos showing them throwing Digiturk receivers into garbage bins to protest the platform's controversial move.


The removal of the channels is viewed by many as a move by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government to silence free and independent media ahead of the crucial snap election scheduled for Nov.1. Turkey's opposition leaders lined up to slam the decision.

Leader of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu attacked Digiturk's controversial move via his Twitter account on Thursday. "The imposing of censorship on seven TV channels just three weeks before elections is a black stain for our democracy. Pressure on the media will end during CHP's rule," he wrote.

Another CHP official voiced similar views. "This is the AK Party's effort to silence opposition media in the run-up to the general election," İsmet Demirdöğen, a CHP member of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), told Reuters. "What can be achieved through banning a cartoon channel?"

Children's channel Yumurcak TV's removal from Digiturk also prompted anger from some social media users who were perplexed at the idea that a children's TV channel could be supporting terrorism.

"This decision is a blow to Arthur the rabbit and Yumi the clever truck, who have supported a civilian coup," said one tweet, referring to two children's TV characters. It was retweeted hundreds of times.

The Bugün TV, Kanaltürk, Shaber and Samanyolu TV channels have become the target of a government crackdown for being deemed to be affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, a grassroots social initiative inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blames the movement for instigating the massive corruption probes revealed on Dec. 17 and 25, 2013, which implicated ministers in his government and even some of his family members.

Police last month raided the offices of Koza İpek, a conglomerate close to Gülen, which owns channels including Kanaltürk and Bugün TV. Late last year, dozens were detained in raids on media outlets with ties to the movement.

Turkish journalists are -- almost on a daily basis -- slapped with criminal charges over the content of their news stories and Twitter posts. Turkey's courts dole out sentences for any type of criticism under the country's widely exploited defamation law. Turkish authorities are using courts to effectively silence anyone who speaks up against the government's wrongdoings. Last year, the authorities shut down Twitter and YouTube until the Constitutional Court lifted the ban.

Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Masum Türker said the removal of critical TV channels by Digiturk ahead of a critical snap vote is a step against the freedom of the press and right to free enterprise.

Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), said decisions such as Digiturk's actually target the entire media, not only certain media outlets. He also said such moves by the government show that its end is near.

Co-chairwoman of EP Greens Group Rebecca Harms also reacted to Digiturk and the AK Party government's disrespect for press freedoms in a statement on Thursday.
"The AK Party continues to violate the fundamental right of freedom of the media. This is clearly an attempt to influence public opinion. It is in conflict with a democratic electoral process," she told Today's Zaman in a statement.

Harms also noted that the EU cannot tolerate this but has to declare clear and strong criticism towards President Erdoğan. "The EU will not achieve a stable and good situation for refugees in Turkey by tolerating the anti democratic decisions by the Turkish government," she said.
Turkey's Press Council described in a statement Digiturk's removal of seven TV channels from its broadcasts as an "open act of censorship."

Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC) said in a statement that Digiturk's move is against the freedom of the press, recalling that it is of crucial importance for the public to have all media channels available to learn facts ahead of the elections. The TGC called on Digiturk to give up its decision to remove the seven TV channels.

Davutoğlu's denial turns out to be wrong

In April, Ankara Public Prosecutor Serdar Coşkun sent a document to the Turkish Satellite Communications Company (TÜRKSAT) Directorate General asking it to prevent a state-owned satellite connection from being used by some media outlets that are critical of the government. The Turkish media reported that the prosecutor's demand came as part of an investigation into claims about the “parallel structure,” and particularly targets media outlets inspired by the Gülen movement. The “parallel structure” is a term invented by Erdoğan after the massive corruption scandal in December 2013 to refer to members of the Gülen movement.

When the prosecutor's move to silence the critical media drew huge public criticism, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu refuted the claims during a live broadcast in May that the critical media outlets will be silenced based on a request from a prosecutor.

"No, such a thing [banning of critical media outlets] is unacceptable. There is no planned thing, either. If you are being careful, you will see that the media outlets of these structures continued their broadcasts following the Dec.17-25 [corruption probe] as well," said Davutoğlu, adding that such a move against critical media outlets can only be taken following a court process and not based on a request from a prosecutor.

Digiturk's sale to Qatari media group remains mysterious

Digiturk's removal of seven TV channels in an apparently politically motivated move on Thursday has brought the company's sale to a Qatari media group to the public's attention as no details have been revealed with regard to the company's sale.

A 53-percent stake in the firm was seized by Turkey's Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) in May 2013 from Çukurova Holding, a conglomerate headed by Mehmet Emin Çukurova, one of the country's most powerful businessmen.

Digiturk was sold to Qatar-based beIN Media Group in July without a tender, although there were many companies interested in buying the firm.

Although months have elapsed since the sale, the price at which Digiturk was sold was not made public. Experts estimate that the value of the digital platform on the day it was sold was $1.4 billion, yet it is not known whether this amount of money was taken and where it was used.

The sale of the company without a tender is also controversial because the state could have won more from its sale if a bidding process had taken place.