Turkey
Journalist Sinan Aygul (left) shown in security footage being assaulted by a municipality officer reportedly linked to the mayor of Tatvan on June 17, 2023. Photos: Sinan Aygul's Twitter
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A police officer and a municipality employee were arrested on Sunday for allegedly assaulting a Kurdish journalist in the town of Tatvan in Turkey’s province of Bitlis.
Security footage from Saturday showed journalist Sinan Aygul coming back from a dentist appointment when he was assaulted by Yucel Baysali, an employee at the municipality of Tatvan. A police officer, Engin Kaplan, can also be seen in the footage as he was close to the incident but did not prevent the attack and stopped people in the area trying to help the journalist.
Bitlis’ governor’s office released a statement regarding the attack saying that legal procedures against both assailants have started and that they have been relieved from their duties. Turkish media on Sunday revealed that both Baysali and Kaplan have been arrested
“This is not a personal attack only on Sinan. It is an attack on all journalists, human rights, and journalism rights,” Aygul told Rudaw on Sunday, adding that he filed a criminal complaint against the assailants and the mayor of Tatvan.
Aygul claimed that the assailant was a bodyguard of Mehmet Emin Geylani, the mayor of Tatvan, and got off from a municipality car to attack him.
“After hitting me on my head they swore at me and said ‘if you ever write about the chief [Mayor] again we will kill you,” he tweeted.
Geylani, whom Aygul has written critical articles about and accused of corruption, quickly distanced himself from the assault in a tweet, stating that they had started an administrative investigation regarding the assailant, referring to him as a “municipality personnel.”
Aygul was taken to Tatvan State Hospital for treatment. He ended up with a bruised and bloodied face following the assault.
Over 15 bar associations in Turkey released statements condemning the assault, labeling it as an attack on journalistic freedom and people’s right of obtaining information.
Aygul, who is the president of the Bitlis Journalist Association, wrote an article criticizing the mayor for corruption inside the municipality of Tatvan, labeling some as “serious crimes.”
Security footage from Saturday showed journalist Sinan Aygul coming back from a dentist appointment when he was assaulted by Yucel Baysali, an employee at the municipality of Tatvan. A police officer, Engin Kaplan, can also be seen in the footage as he was close to the incident but did not prevent the attack and stopped people in the area trying to help the journalist.
Bitlis’ governor’s office released a statement regarding the attack saying that legal procedures against both assailants have started and that they have been relieved from their duties. Turkish media on Sunday revealed that both Baysali and Kaplan have been arrested
“This is not a personal attack only on Sinan. It is an attack on all journalists, human rights, and journalism rights,” Aygul told Rudaw on Sunday, adding that he filed a criminal complaint against the assailants and the mayor of Tatvan.
Aygul claimed that the assailant was a bodyguard of Mehmet Emin Geylani, the mayor of Tatvan, and got off from a municipality car to attack him.
“After hitting me on my head they swore at me and said ‘if you ever write about the chief [Mayor] again we will kill you,” he tweeted.
Geylani, whom Aygul has written critical articles about and accused of corruption, quickly distanced himself from the assault in a tweet, stating that they had started an administrative investigation regarding the assailant, referring to him as a “municipality personnel.”
Aygul was taken to Tatvan State Hospital for treatment. He ended up with a bruised and bloodied face following the assault.
Over 15 bar associations in Turkey released statements condemning the assault, labeling it as an attack on journalistic freedom and people’s right of obtaining information.
Aygul, who is the president of the Bitlis Journalist Association, wrote an article criticizing the mayor for corruption inside the municipality of Tatvan, labeling some as “serious crimes.”
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