Turkey hits opposition TV channel with 10-day broadcast ban

Turkey's broadcasting watchdog, RTUK, said Thursday that it was imposing a 10-day broadcast ban on opposition TV channel Sozcu over claims of incitement in its coverage of mass protests.

"The broadcaster... was given a 10-day broadcast suspension," the regulator said in a statement, pointing to alleged violations linked to incitement to "hatred and hostility".

If the channel is found guilty of a further "violation" after the ban expires, its license will be revoked, RTUK said.

The announcement came as the BBC said Turkey had deported one of its journalists who was covering the protests, on grounds he posed "a threat to public order".

BBC News correspondent Mark Lowen was taken from his Istanbul hotel on Wednesday in what BBC News CEO Deborah Turness called "an extremely troubling incident".

The biggest protests in Turkey in over a decade erupted on March 19 after the arrest of Istanbul's popular opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, on corruption charges.

In the ensuing protests, which spread across the country, nearly 1,900 people have been arrested, among them 11 journalists, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul.

Most have since been released, with Akgul due to be freed later Thursday.

Turkish government denied any influence over the judiciary and says the courts are independent.

Speaking to international media representatives in Istanbul, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said Ankara had asked its European partners to act with "common sense", adding the gravity of the allegations against Imamoglu required his arrest.

"We don't want the arrest of any politician, but if there is evidence of a violation, then it can happen," Tunc said through a translator.

"If we look at the gravity of the allegations, and as there is risk that evidence can be concealed, the judiciary has made a reasonable decision," he added.

The CHP has called on Turks to continue protesting, saying it would organize rallies and gatherings at different locations in Istanbul and elsewhere. Erdogan has dismissed the protests as a "show" and warned of legal consequences for protesters.