MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
“Fake” censorship of Halk TV news
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Halk TV
CITY
İstanbul
LAST UPDATED
03/01/2024
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Internet
Internet News Portal
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Media Outlet
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Criminal Peace Judgeships
Decision to block access

The Istanbul 7th Criminal Court of Peace has blocked access to a news report by Halk TV that drug lord Urfi Çetinkaya, nicknamed “Felçli,” had been contacted by his men by Deputy Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek to secure his release. The news report stated that Çetinkaya had wanted to contact Deputy Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, who was responsible for prisons at the time, and that Gürlek had been warned by the narcotics department, which was following the developments. However, sources from the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office that Halk TV reached stated that the document regarding the access ban was fake. It was revealed that fake lawyer and judge names were used in the decision in question, and even a fake file number was created (January 5th).