A farewell message came from Halk TV employees: At times we were Selahattin Demirtaş, at times Ekrem İmamoğlu, at times Can Atalay. As Halk TV was seized in a midnight operation, the channel’s management was transferred to the TMSF, and Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş entered the studio one last time together with his colleagues and delivered a farewell speech. This was the final gathering.
Unable to bid farewell to viewers live on air because the master control could not be taken over, Toktaş said this was why they recorded a video together with their colleagues. They conveyed it through a video. Toktaş, who said the channel, which has been on air for nearly 20 years, was seized “as Turkey’s new normal,” stated: “Turkey’s largest and most-watched news channel has been seized. In fact, the right to know is being blocked.”
Toktaş said the channel had stood by the victims from İliç to Narin Güran, from Cerattepe to Akbelen, and that at times they were Selahattin Demirtaş, at times Ekrem İmamoğlu, and at times Can Atalay. This is how he concluded his remarks.
Why it matters
The seizure decision constitutes an intervention that reshapes not only the ownership of a channel but also the sources from which viewers can receive their news. The takeover by a public institution such as the TMSF of the management of a news channel that has been on air for nearly twenty years carries the debate over press freedom in Turkey into a new dimension. The fate of the channel’s editorial line, which has stood by the victims in events such as İliç, Cerattepe and Akbelen, directly concerns the audience that follows this news. The taking over of master control and the employees’ inability to say goodbye on air show that the intervention extends as far as the broadcast content itself. How the channel’s editorial policy will take shape from now on, the situation of the employees, and how the legal process against the transfer will proceed are among the questions that remain open.
Background
İmamoğlu is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 5 reports featuring this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 4, 2026.