The new season started with pressure and censorship

Tugce Celik

With music festivals and concerts canceled, and musicians and works under investigation, the government's oppressive stance on culture and the arts continues. With the start of a new broadcast season on television channels, discussions about the pressure and censorship exerted on the arts have also escalated. Following the screening of the first episode of " Kızılcık Şerbeti ," which has entered its fourth season and aired on Show TV, RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin announced on social media that an investigation has been launched into the series for targeting the institution of the family.

The series' screenwriter, Merve Göntem, was detained four years ago after a statement she made about a character in BluTV's "Naked" series went viral on social media. Appearing in court, Göntem was released on probation. Following an investigation by Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the series' producer, Gold Film, issued a statement stating that the series did not attack the family.

The Cinema Workers' Union (SINE-SEN) highlighted attempts to reshape the art scene with threats and punitive policies. The Professional Association of Screenplay and Dialogue Writers and Film Work Owners (SenaristBir) stated, "Society is corrupted not by TV series, but by injustice and poverty."

CONTROL THE EXPLOITATION SINE-SEN

Board Member Yeliz Vurgun said, "The detention of a screenwriter based on a character she wrote demonstrates that the government is threatening the freedom of creative labor in the arts and culture. The goal is to control a person's labor." Recalling that a lawsuit was previously filed against the series for halting broadcasts due to scenes of violence against women, Vurgun continued: "Those scenes actually show very little of what a certain segment of society experiences. An investigation was launched on the grounds that it 'harms the family structure and social values,' and they called it the 2025 Year of the Family. On the occasion of the Year of the Family, we saw that four women can be murdered in 12 hours, and the perpetrators are released. Children under 18 are forced to work and lose their lives, and drugs are lurking on every street corner. What really needs to be investigated and inspected are the OHS rules and measures, labor exploitation, unhealthy working conditions of up to 14-16 hours, and the lack of precautions taken on sets."

Vurgun continued: "The government, which attempts to intervene and control every aspect of our lives, is attempting to establish its hegemony through interventions in the field of culture and the arts, to intimidate and intimidate workers, and to create the uniform, obedient human profile it desires. It seeks to limit the diverse and radical productivity of art to a social life steeped in family, tradition, and religion, and to suppress those who step outside these boundaries with intimidation and threats of punishment. Protecting networks of solidarity and struggle against threats, oppression, and intimidation is of critical importance."

SCREENWRITING IS NOT A CRIME

SenaristBir released a statement saying, “Our colleague Göntem was targeted and detained based on words taken out of context based on what he said in an interview four years ago.” The statement continued, “The combination of social media lynch mob culture and the opportunism of accounts with large followings has created a devastating situation that threatens a screenwriter’s livelihood. The fact that Kızılcık Şerbeti (Red Sherbet), which has been on RTÜK’s radar since its launch, has been targeted under the pretext of ‘Turkish family structure’ has made visible the oppression of freedom of expression and creativity. It’s not TV series that rots society, but injustice. It’s not fiction that destroys families, but poverty. It’s not screenwriters that drag a country into the abyss, but oppression and lawlessness. Screenwriting is not a crime.”

∗∗∗

WHAT HAPPENED?

As part of the operation against Can Holding on September 11th, the assets of 121 companies were seized. The holding, which was placed under trusteeship, includes television channels such as Habertürk and Bloomberg HT, as well as Show TV, which aired the series Kızılcık Şerbeti (Red Sherbet). Following the trusteeship, social media posts calling for the series' removal prompted the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) to launch an investigation.

∗∗∗

JUDICIAL CLAMP ON ARTISTS

Some recent examples in Türkiye are as follows;

• Following Manifest's concert on September 6, an investigation was launched on charges of "indecent acts" and "exhibitionism." The band members were released on probation. The band's Turkey tour was canceled, and access to the concert footage was blocked on the grounds of "protecting national security and public order."

• Access to more than 450 videos of Grup Yorum, which were broadcast on 56 different channels on YouTube between 2006 and 2024 and viewed a total of 205 million times, was blocked on the grounds of 'protecting national security and public order'.

• The Zeytinli Rock Festival was scheduled to be held in Saklıgöl, Marmaris. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change denied permission for the festival, claiming the area was designated a Special Environmental Protection Area. The festival, which had been moved to Kilyos, Istanbul, was subsequently blocked by the Sarıyer District Governor's Office, citing forest fires.