14.10.2026 08:44
New Party Chairman Özgür Özel reacted to the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV. Pointing to the day when Ekrem İmamoğlu will make his defense in the İBB case, Özel said, "While the people demand accountability for the fund theft… While the economic crisis, the struggle to make a living, and injustices continue all over our country… Right on the day when the defense is to begin in Turkey's biggest political case, they did this."
There were busy minutes in Istanbul with the first light of morning. After police teams carried out an operation on Halk TV's headquarters building in Istanbul, it was announced that a trustee had been appointed to the channel. Immediately after the decision, the television channel's broadcast was completely halted.
Following the development that shook the media world, one of the first and harshest reactions from the political institution came from New Party Chairman Özgür Özel.
“IT WAS DONE EXACTLY ON THE DAY OF İMAMOĞLU’S DEFENSE”
In a written statement published through his social media account, Özgür Özel emphasized the timing of the operation and the trustee decision. Drawing attention to the fact that this step was taken on the day Ekrem İmamoğlu was to make his defense in the İBB case, which he described as Turkey's biggest political case, Özel argued that there was “fear” behind the decision.
Özel included the following statements in his harshly worded post:
“Raiding a television channel at dawn and appointing a trustee is something only dictators would do. Unfortunately, they have brought our country to this state. While the nation was waiting for accountability for the fund embezzlement; while the economic crisis, the struggle to make a living, and injustices continue, they did this exactly on the day the defense was to begin in Turkey's biggest political case. Those who appoint trustees to municipalities and crush the will of the nation have now appointed a trustee to Halk TV, which millions watch. Because they are helpless and cowardly!”
“THE NATION WILL WIN, THE TUTELAGE SUPPORTERS WILL BE DEFEATED”
Stating that they will stand behind Halk TV employees and press freedom to the end, New Party Leader Özel concluded his statement with these words:
“We stand by Halk TV, press freedom, the hundreds of workers employed there, and their families. Those who think they can discipline politics with the judiciary, journalism with law enforcement, and the national will with trustees are in history's greatest delusion. Turkey will defeat this evil. We invite our people to embrace this struggle to the end. The nation will win, the coup plotters and tutelage supporters will be defeated!”