The Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform has called on Turkish authorities to investigate death threats made against a journalist following a recent article about alleged nepotism in the Kars Municipality.
Fırat Can Arslan, a reporter for the Mezopotamya Agency, reported receiving numerous death threats and insults from members of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the ultranationalist Grey Wolves, the paramilitary wing of the MHP.
The threats followed his article published in early September titled “Kars Municipality turned into a family business: Grey Wolves are running the city!” which alleged that the Grey Wolves had taken control of various municipal institutions and departments in Kars, effectively turning the city’s management into a “family business.”
The report, which exposed familial connections within the municipality, drew widespread attention when it was shared on social media. Arslan told the Media Law and Studies Association (MLSA) that he received hundreds of threatening messages, including death threats and references to “yellow bags,” a term associated with disposing of bodies.
Notable members of the Grey Wolves involved in the threats were Tolgahan Bulut, head of the Kafkas University branch of the group, and Cem Keskin, the Kars chairman. Arslan has since filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Safety of Journalists Platform has urged Turkish authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation, convict the perpetrators and ensure Arslan’s safety.
The ideology of the Grey Wolves is mainly based on Turkish nationalism. Therefore, Kurds, Armenians and other minorities in Turkey have occasionally been their targets.
In 2020 France officially banned the Grey Wolves after a center dedicated to the memory of those who died in the mass killings of Armenians during World War I was defaced with graffiti, including the name of the Grey Wolves.
Since then, the German government has faced an intensified public campaign in favor of banning the Turkish nationalist group.
In 2021 the European Parliament called on the European Union and its member states to examine the possibility of adding the Grey Wolves to the EU terrorist list.
In its 2019-2020 report prepared by Turkey rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor, the EP voiced concerns about the group, saying it was expanding to worrying levels not only in Turkey but also in EU countries.
