New Delhi, Dec 28 (TIWN) The deplorable state of freedom of speech and expression in Turkey has once again been brought to the fore with the shutting down of a Turkish channel, just 26 days after its launch. Olay TV blamed Turkish government for putting intense pressure before darkening its screen during a dramatic live broadcast Friday.

 The channel's executive editor Suleyman Sarilar, who was joined in on the news set by dozens of staffers during his farewell speech, said the network's joint-owner Cavit Caglar, a former state minister, was "under great pressure by the government" as the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan-led regime was disturbed by the pro-Kurdish coverage.  "Everybody knows which office in Turkey would silence and pressure a television channel that just started broadcasting on November 30, and one that meant to engage in neutral journalism," Sarilar said.  The move has generated a lot of criticism from the Turkish netizens and the opposition parties who believe that Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has tarnished the country's reputation beyond repair.