Turkey’s march toward dictatorship

In Istanbul, prosecutors have ordered the arrest of ten executives of Can Holding and the seizure of its vast assets, including three television channels — Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT — on charges of fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering, Turkish media reported Thursday.

The move, announced by the Kucukcekmece prosecutor’s office and broadcast by state channel TRT Haber, extends far beyond a single company. It signals yet another step in Ankara’s campaign to tighten control over independent voices in the country’s fragile media landscape.

Can Holding, which also owned gas stations, schools, and a private university, acquired the three TV channels in December 2024, including Bloomberg HT, a business news channel launched in 2010 in partnership with Bloomberg News. Its expansion into broadcasting positioned the company as a significant media player.

Now, with its 121 companies seized, its executives jailed, and its assets frozen, Can Holding has been effectively dismantled.

While the charges against Can Holding may sound like a standard corruption case, press freedom advocates argue otherwise.

“The operation targeting Can Holding, also owner of Habertürk and Bloomberg HT, could serve to strengthen government control over the media, driven by a desire for a single voice,” said Erol Önderoglu, the representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey.

That “single voice” has become a hallmark of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rule, where dissenting broadcasters and newspapers are systematically shuttered, taken over by pro-government businessmen, or crippled under legal and financial pressure.

A Familiar Pattern

Turkey already ranks among the world’s worst offenders for press freedom, with dozens of journalists imprisoned and critical outlets silenced. 

The seizure of Can Holding’s assets, particularly a channel tied to an international brand like Bloomberg, highlights how economic pretexts are being weaponized to eliminate independent or semi-independent media.

The official narrative may be about financial misconduct, but the broader reality is clear: every channel, every paper, every platform that strays from government orthodoxy is at risk.

As the Turkish government consolidates its grip, the space for pluralism and free journalism shrinks further. The seizure of Can Holding is not just about one conglomerate — it is another chapter in the systematic dismantling of press freedom in Turkey.