Belqees TV
| Country | Yemen |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Programming | |
| Language | Arabic |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Tawakkol Karman |
| History | |
| Launched | 2014 |
| Links | |
| Website | belqees |
Belqees TV (Arabic: قناة بلقيس) was a Yemeni news channel, named after Queen of Sheba and owned by Tawakkol Karman. It was established in 2014 with the help of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom and known for its affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood.[1][2][3][4] It started broadcasting in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, but moved to Istanbul after being attacked by the Houthis.[5][6][7][8]
History
Belqees TV established in 2014 and launched its broadcasting in the same year by Yemeni journalist and activist Tawakkol Karman. The news channel was established during a period of increasing political tension, and aimed to provide an independent platform to a country which its media was becoming more polarized or subject to censorship.[9][3]
Shortly after its foundation, following attacks by the Houthis the channel was forced to move abroad, relocating to Istanbul, Turkey. From there it continued broadcasting for a decade, becoming very popular online. It got over one million subscribers on YouTube and three million followers on Facebook. It streamed live all day and night and showed field reports, talk shows, documentaries, and original drama during Ramadan.[3][8][7]
Termination
Belqees TV broadcasts were terminated in late November 2025. This was claimed because of "compelling and uncontrollable circumstances" including financial woes and Turkey's policy shifts on hosting partisan outlets. More severe allegations were made by Morocco who has accused Tawakkol Karman and Belqees TV of encouraging violence, hate, and support for terrorism, and of insulting Moroccan state institutions. These claims are based on things she allegedly said and posted online during protests in Morocco. After Morocco filed a legal complaint through the Moroccan Lawyers Club, Turkey treated it as a criminal case, stopped Belqees TV from broadcasting, and shut down its offices there.[10][11][12]
See also
References
- ^ "الموقع الرسمي لجريدة الشرق القطرية". archive.fo. 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "On freezing of Tawakkol Karman's membership". english.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ a b c "End of Broadcast: Belqees TV Ceases Operations". 2025.
- ^ "قناة "بلقيس" تتوارى مع غياب مموليها". اندبندنت عربية (in Arabic). 2025-11-28. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ الملك, صنعاء ــ محمد عبد. "الحوثيون ينهبون قناة "بلقيس" بعد احتلالها". alaraby (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-07-30.
- ^ "قناة بلقيس اليمنية تستأنف بثها خارج البلاد". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ a b Hubbard, Ben (2019-04-14). "Arab Exiles Sound Off Freely in Istanbul Even as Turkey Muffles Its Own Critics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ a b "Istanbul: A Turkish haven for Arab journalists". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ Alragawi, Mohammed (2018-01-01). "SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT ON TELEVISION IN YEMEN: THE CASE OF BELQEES TV". Kadir Has University.
- ^ "Turkey Halts Belqees TV Broadcast as Morocco Files Incitement Complaint Against Karman". Assahifa. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ "Closure of (Belqees) Channel Owned by Tawakkol Karman |". Hibapress. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ "قناة بلقيس اليمنية تعلن توقفها عن البث لأسباب قاهرة". Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. Retrieved 2025-12-05.