# Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attempt

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-22.

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.[1][2][3][4]

- Country: [Türkiye](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/tr) (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)
- Where: Türkiye
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Licensing and closure of outlets
- Stage: Silence (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/outlet_licensing#stage-silence)
- Head of government at the time: [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/recep-tayyip-erdogan)
- Issue of the day: The failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt against President Erdogan's government and the mass arrests and dismissals that followed against alleged participants and sympathizers.
- Outcome: Sustained, December 31, 2016. Most closures were not reversed by the decrees themselves; Human Rights Watch documented that the closures reached opposition and Kurdish-audience outlets beyond any shown Gulen movement link.
- Era: The 2010s

## 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.[1][2][3][4]

## What reason was given

The 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

- 2016-07-27: Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attempt

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/recep-tayyip-erdogan) | ordered | President of Türkiye |

## Sources

1. Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree. https://rsf.org/en/turkey-latest-escalation-102-media-outlets-closed-decree (Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29).
2. Silencing Turkey's Media. https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/15/silencing-turkeys-media/governments-deepening-assault-critical-journalism (Human Rights Watch, 2016-12-15).

## Claims cited

[1] A single decree closed dozens of newspapers, television channels, radio stations, news agencies and magazines. Quote: "45 newspapers, 16 TV channels, 23 radio stations, three news agencies and 15 magazines" Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29. Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree. https://rsf.org/en/turkey-latest-escalation-102-media-outlets-closed-decree Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/242, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] The government accused the closed outlets of collaborating with the movement it blamed for the coup attempt. Quote: "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." Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29. Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree. https://rsf.org/en/turkey-latest-escalation-102-media-outlets-closed-decree Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/243, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] RSF said the closures eliminated an entire section of Turkey's media in a single action. Quote: "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." Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), 2016-10-29. Turkey: in latest escalation, 102 media outlets closed by decree. https://rsf.org/en/turkey-latest-escalation-102-media-outlets-closed-decree Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/244, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] The first major post-coup decree named 131 media outlets for closure. Quote: "131 media outlets, including 45 newspapers, 16 TV channels, three news agencies, 23 radio stations, 15 magazines and 29 publishing houses" Source: Human Rights Watch, 2016-12-15. Silencing Turkey's Media. https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/15/silencing-turkeys-media/governments-deepening-assault-critical-journalism Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/245, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2016-turkey-post-coup-media-closures. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.