Turkish Authorities Appoint Trustee to Pro-Opposition TELE1 Network Amid Espionage Probe

Trustee Appointed to TELE1

On Friday, October 24, 2025, Turkish authorities appointed a state-run fund as a trustee to take control of TELE1, a prominent pro-opposition television network. The decision by the Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace placed ABC Radio Television and Digital Broadcasting Inc., TELE1's parent company, under the administration of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF). This development occurred hours after the network's editor-in-chief, Merdan Yanardağ, was detained as part of an ongoing espionage investigation.

The trustee team arrived at TELE1's studios during the channel's evening news program, leading anchor Murat Taylan to abruptly end the broadcast. Taylan told viewers, 'We are ending the main news bulletin earlier than scheduled. Take care of yourselves, do not surrender to lies.' The channel subsequently switched to recorded programming.

Espionage Charges and Broader Investigation

The appointment of the trustee and the detention of Merdan Yanardağ are linked to an espionage investigation that also implicates jailed Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his campaign director, Necati Özkan. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the investigation is based on digital materials seized from Huseyin Gun, a suspect arrested on July 4 on espionage charges, who allegedly maintained contact with 'numerous foreign intelligence officers'.

Prosecutors allege that Yanardağ had contacts with Gun and 'actually uses the channel' through his son, Alp Yanardağ, who is the official owner. They further claim that Yanardağ 'organized the media aspect of the election process while obtaining benefits from Huseyin Gun' and worked 'in cooperation with foreign intelligence services to manipulate' the 2019 local elections.

Impact on TELE1 and Media Landscape

Following the trustee's takeover, TELE1's content was significantly altered. By Saturday, October 25, hard news programming was replaced with documentaries and health-related content. Additionally, TELE1's YouTube channel, a primary digital archive and streaming platform for the network, was shut down, with thousands of videos reportedly disappearing before access was completely blocked. A pro-government columnist, İbrahim Paşalı, was reportedly appointed as the interim manager for TELE1.

Reactions and Concerns

The move to seize TELE1 and detain its editor-in-chief has drawn immediate and widespread condemnation. Journalists' unions, opposition politicians, and civil society groups have described it as an attempt to silence independent reporting and a blow to press freedom. CHP leader Özgür Özel denounced Yanardağ's arrest and TELE1's seizure as a politically motivated act of opposition media censorship, calling the espionage charges 'utterly absurd'. Yanardağ, communicating through his lawyers, described the developments as 'bullying' and 'a sign the country is heading towards a totalitarian regime'.