CPJ urges full investigation into killing of Turkish journalist Hakan Tosun

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last month |  CPJ News Alert

ISTANBUL — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has demanded that Turkish authorities conduct a comprehensive investigation into the death of freelance reporter and documentary filmmaker Hakan Tosun to determine whether his killing was in retaliation for his journalism. Istanbul police have arrested two suspects, who have not yet been charged.

“The death of filmmaker Hakan Tosun is tragic and must be thoroughly investigated,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “While the police acted quickly to make arrests, Turkish authorities must seek to identify any and all possible instigators in order to achieve full justice.” 

Tosun, 50, whose journalism focused on environmental and social issues, was beaten unconscious and left in the street in the Esenyurt District of Istanbul. He was found and taken to the hospital but not immediately identified. Tosun’s family had filed a missing persons report as no one had seen him since October 10. They learned of his whereabouts more than a day later. Tosun died on October 13 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. 

HalkTV, an outlet that has been critical of the Turkish government, spoke with an alleged witness to the attack, a shopkeeper, who said that relatives of one of the suspects had seized the store’s security recordings from the day of the beating. 

Lawmaker Murat Bakan from the main opposition party, CHP, addressed Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya with a parliamentary question about Tosun’s death and asked who the arrested suspects are; whether Tosun had security concerns he had made known to the authorities beforehand; whether the incident is being investigated as a simple attack or one with instigators behind it; and why the journalist was not identified at the hospital until 27 hours after he arrived.  

CPJ sent an email requesting comment from the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office but did not receive a reply.