Threats issued by Mümin Erol, mayor of Tatvan in the eastern Turkish province of Bitlis, against journalist Sinan Aygül and praise for the bodyguards who previously assaulted the reporter have raised serious concerns, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement, calling for an apology from the mayor.
In a recently released recording of an August 15 news conference, Erol told reporters he would attack Aygül if given the chance. In the recording, he said, “Sinan will learn his place. We will teach him a lesson.”
Erol, a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), won the mayoral race in March, defeating a candidate from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Aygül said the threats likely stem from his recent reporting on allegations that the mayor and his aides had misused public funds. He plans to file a criminal complaint in response to Erol’s comments.
Aygül, an investigative journalist known for his coverage of corruption allegations in the eastern province of Bitlis, was physically assaulted in June 2023 by the bodyguards of the former mayor, Mehmet Emin Geylani.
The assailants were released from pretrial detention while the trial was ongoing and received suspended sentences, ultimately spending less than three months behind bars. Aygül, on the other hand, was handed down a suspended two-month sentence in January 2024on charges of insulting the attackers.
“Unfortunately, the change of power in the local government of Tatvan did not favor journalist Sinan Aygül,” said CPJ’s Turkey representative, Özgür Öğret. “Mayor Mümin Erol should publicly apologize for his violent comments about Aygül, and local authorities must ensure Aygül’s safety.”
In February 2023 Aygül was convicted under Turkey’s controversial disinformation law and sentenced to 10 months in prison. The conviction was overturned by Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals in May 2024.
Turkey, which is among the top jailers of journalists in the world, was ranked 158th in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2024 World Press Freedom Index, among 180 countries.
Rights groups routinely accuse the Turkish government of trying to keep the press under control by imprisoning journalists, closing down media outlets, overseeing the purchase of media brands by pro-government conglomerates and using regulatory authorities to exert financial pressure, especially after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan survived a coup attempt in July 2016.
