Turkish authorities raided the Istanbul offices of Halk TV, one of Turkey's most-watched opposition and independent broadcasters, early Wednesday. The police raid halted live broadcasts and led to the arrest of 11 people.
Following the raid, the government appointed a trustee to run the channel as part of a corruption investigation. Halk chairman Cafer Mahiroglu denounced the action as a dark day for Turkey, stating that seven of his family members were among those detained.
The move is the latest in a series of crackdowns on media critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government. With the appointment of a government manager, Halk TV was the last big news channel to be critical of the president, and authorities have now replaced leadership at five major news outlets.
This action took place just hours before the defense was scheduled to begin arguments in a sprawling corruption trial involving jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and some 400 other defendants.