Turkey's RTÜK Faces Legal Challenge as Açık Radyo Appeals License Revocation

Açık Radyo has petitioned the Constitutional Court of Turkey to overturn the Radio and Television Supreme Council’s (RTÜK) decision to cancel its terrestrial broadcast licence. The station argues the revocation, which followed a fine and multiple broadcast interruptions after a guest referred to the 1915 events as a "genocide," breaches constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression, press freedom, the right to information and the principle of proportionality. Earlier court rulings rejected its appeals, prompting the final constitutional review.

At the same time, RTÜK chairman Mehmet Daniş announced the development of an artificial‑intelligence‑driven system to monitor digital platforms such as YouTube, proposing that these services be licensed and overseen under new legislation. He cited the shift of audiences to online media and the need for updated regulatory authority, seeking parliamentary approval for expanded powers.