Protests in Turkey over Imamoglu's arrest, Turkish media watchdog suspends broadcast of pro-opposition channel for 10 days

An opposition television station in Turkey has been suspended from broadcasting for 10 days for "inciting public hatred and hostility," according to Turkey's media watchdog, RTÜK, amid massive anti-government protests in the country.

“Sözcü TV, which was recently fined, has been “sentenced to a 10-day suspension,” the authority said, threatening to revoke the station’s license “if the violations continue.”

RTÜK also fined and suspended several programs on three other television stations critical of the government, including Halk TV, five of whose journalists were arrested in late January on charges of attempting to influence the judiciary. The journalists were eventually released.

“The heaviest sanctions in the history of Turkish media were approved at today’s RTÜK Supreme Council meeting,” said Ilhan Takçi, an opposition-appointed RTÜK member, in a post on X strongly condemning the action.

Turkish authorities have also arrested 11 journalists, including an AFP photographer, since the start of mass anti-government protests, sparked by the arrest and detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.

Six of the detained journalists were released on Monday, while the AFP photographer was due to be released later today. Two others were released after being held in police custody in Istanbul and Izmir, the country's third-largest city, where two journalists remain in custody, according to the Turkish human rights association MLSA.

The BBC reported earlier today that a journalist had been expelled from Turkey after authorities there accused him of "threatening public order" in the country.

Several journalists have been arrested in Turkey in recent days while covering protests that have been banned by the government in several major cities.

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