Incident
Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attempt
After a failed July 2016 coup attempt, Turkey's government closed more than 100 newspapers, television and radio stations, news agencies and publishing houses by state-of-emergency decree, citing alleged links to the movement it blamed for the coup.1234
What happened
On July 15, 2016, a faction of Turkey's military attempted to seize power; the government put down the attempt within hours. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government declared a state of emergency on July 21, giving it power to rule by decree, an executive order with the force of law that bypasses ordinary parliamentary debate. Decree No. 668, issued July 27, 2016, closed 131 media outlets, including 45 newspapers, 16 television channels, three news agencies, 23 radio stations, 15 magazines and 29 publishing houses, all accused of having "links to a terrorist organization" and posing "a threat to national security." The government said the outlets had ties to the movement of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom it accused of directing the coup attempt. Further decrees followed, including a September 28 order closing stations popular among Kurdish and Alevi audiences and opposition supporters; by December 2016, 140 outlets and 29 publishers had been shut. Human Rights Watch said the closures extended well beyond outlets with any documented Gulen movement connection.1234
What reason was given
Stated justificationThe government said the closed outlets had "links to a terrorist organization" and posed "a threat to national security," tying them to the movement of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom it accused of directing the coup attempt.2
What changed for reporting
More than 100 newspapers, broadcasters, news agencies and publishing houses lost their operating licenses at a stroke, and Reporters Without Borders said the decrees eliminated "an entire swathe" of Turkey's media in one action.3
Timeline
2016
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | ordered | President of Türkiye |
Sources
- Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree archived copy
- Silencing Turkey's Media archived copy
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- A single decree closed dozens of newspapers, television channels, radio stations, news agencies and magazines.
45 newspapers, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, three news agencies and 15 magazines
Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree archived copy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29.Claim 242, checked 2026-09-22. - The government accused the closed outlets of collaborating with the movement it blamed for the coup attempt.
suspected of 'collaborating' with the movement headed by the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, which the authorities say was responsible for the 15 July abortive coup.
Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree archived copy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29.Claim 243, checked 2026-09-22. - RSF said the closures eliminated an entire section of Turkey's media in a single action.
The authorities have eliminated an entire swathe of the media landscape in one fell swoop. The irreparable damage they are inflicting on pluralism and the rule of law goes far beyond the state of emergency.
Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree archived copy, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29.Claim 244, checked 2026-09-22. - The first major post-coup decree named 131 media outlets for closure.
131 media outlets, including 45 newspapers, 16 TV channels, three news agencies, 23 radio stations, 15 magazines and 29 publishing houses
Silencing Turkey's Media archived copy, Human Rights Watch, 2016-12-15.Claim 245, checked 2026-09-22.