Children's TV channel, six others removed from Digitürk platform

Seven TV channels, including a children?s station, which belong to companies that are known to be close to the Fethullah Gülen movement, have been removed from one of Turkey?s leading pay satellite network and TV operators, Digitürk. 

Digitürk said in a statement on its website that they had removed the seven TV channels due to ?legal obligations.?

The channels include Kanaltürk, Samanyolu TV, Mehtap TV, S Haber, Bugün TV, Yumurcak TV (a children?s TV channel) and Irmak TV.

The statement said a legal letter about an investigation conducted by the Investigation Bureau on Crimes against the Constitutional Order of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor?s Office had arrived to them. 

?Due to the content of the aforementioned letter, Kanaltürk, Samanyolu TV, Mehtap TV, S Haber (Samanyolu Haber), Bugün TV, Yumurcak TV and Irmak TV channels have been removed from our platform due to legal obligations,? read the statement. The seven channels all belong to one of Koza ?pek, Samanyolu Media and Feza Publications, which are long known to have close ties with the government?s friend-turned-foe, U.S. based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and his movement.

The media groups are under investigation for their ties to Gülen, who is the subject of two arrest warrants in Turkey on charges of establishing a ?parallel state? within the state itself, especially in the judiciary and police department. 

Qatari media group beIN completed the takeover of Digitürk on July 13, while Qatari Emir Tammim bin Hamad al-Thani met and conferred with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an behind closed doors in Istanbul.

Digitürk?s decision has also drawn criticism from consumer associations to political figures, with all arguing that the...