Turkish court issues arrest warrant for owner of pro-opposition TV channel
ANKARA - An Istanbul court has issued an arrest warrant for the owner of a television channel aligned with Turkey's main opposition party on charges of bid-rigging, the prosecutor's office said late on Tuesday.
The arrest warrant for Cafer Mahiroglu, owner of Halk TV, was issued as part of an investigation into an alleged criminal organisation suspected of rigging public tenders by bribing public officials.
Several main opposition CHP members including district mayors were arrested under the investigation, part of a widening legal crackdown against the jailed mayor of Istanbul, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, and the opposition.
Mahiroglu, a Turkish businessperson who lives in London, denied the charges in a post on X.
"I am being accused based on the fabricated false statements and slander of someone I have never met or seen in my life," he said, adding that he has been living abroad for 35 years.
"So, there is a price to be the owner of Halk TV, the people's television, and to defend democracy, rights and law."
He did not say if he would return to Turkey to contest the charges.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People's Party (CHP), who leads Erdogan in some opinion polls, was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies.
His arrest triggered mass protests, economic turmoil and broad accusations of government influence over the judiciary and anti-democratic applications. The government has denied the accusations and said the judiciary is independent.
Since his arrest, authorities have detained dozens of CHP members, officials from the Istanbul municipality, and other CHP-run municipalities. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Vehicles ablaze in Nairobi as Kenya protests escalate
NAIROBI - Protests in the Kenyan capital Nairobi intensified on Thursday, with vehicles set ablaze and police firing teargas to disperse crowds angered by the death in custody of a political blogger last week, Reuters TV footage showed. The death of 31-year-old Albert Ojwang, who blogged on political and social issues, is the latest case to throw a spotlight on the country's security services, who have been accused of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances for years. Police used teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in the capital, with at least two vehicles set on fire, Reuters TV footage showed, a day after President William Ruto said Ojwang had died "at the hands of the police", reversing earlier official accounts of his death. Police had initially said Ojwang was arrested in western Kenya on Friday for allegedly defaming the country's deputy police chief Eliud Lagat online and died "after hitting his head against a cell wall". The Independent Policing Oversight Authority watchdog has launched an investigation, while the European Union and the United States have called for a transparent probe into the blogger's death. Protesters demanded Lagat's resignation on Thursday, with some carrying Kenyan flags and chanting "Lagat must go". The blogger's wounds, including a head injury, neck compression and soft tissue damage, pointed to assault as the cause of death, according to pathologist Bernard Midia, who was part of a team that conducted an autopsy. On Wednesday, Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja apologised for the police having previously implied that Ojwang died by suicide. "Based on the report by IPOA ... it is not true... He did not hit his head against the wall," Kanja told a Senate hearing. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
G7 summit in Canada to see how EU, US align on Russia sanctions, says German official
FILE PHOTO: Fish and Wildlife officers patrol the area in Kananaskis Country, where the leaders of the G7 will meet from June 15 to 17, 2025 in Alberta, Canada, June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Todd Korol/ File Photo G7 summit in Canada to see how EU, US align on Russia sanctions, says German official BERLIN - The upcoming Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Canada will be about the extent to which the EU and U.S. align on sanctions against Russia, a German government official said on Thursday. "In many respects, the G7 summit is also a milestone as far as Ukraine is concerned," said the official, adding that it was important to keep the United States engaged and move the sanctions debate "a little bit further" in the right direction. On continued military and financial support for Ukraine, the official said realism was needed. "If we maintain the status quo, that the Americans continue to provide certain very important services to Ukraine, then we are doing well," added the official. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Child killed by Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Belgorod region, governor says
Child killed by Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Belgorod region, governor says A two-year-old boy was killed by a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's southern Belgorod region and his grandmother and another adult were wounded, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Thursday. Gladkov said the grandmother was out walking with the boy when a drone struck an apartment block. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Drone strikes by both Russia and Ukraine have intensified in recent weeks. A concentrated, nine-minute-long Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv on Wednesday killed six people and injured 64, including nine children, Ukrainian officials said. Russia's defence ministry on Thursday said Moscow's forces had shot down 260 Ukrainian drones in the past day, including 62 outside the combat zone. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
