The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday called on Turkish authorities to protect a reporter and his family after they received death threats in response to his report alleging a $2.5 million bribe to avoid detention in a court case tied to organized crime, Turkish Minute reported.
BirGün daily reporter İsmail Arı, based in Ankara, filed a criminal complaint on Friday after receiving threatening messages and calls.
At least one of his relatives was also directly threatened by phone, according to documents reviewed by CPJ.
The journalist told CPJ that he was given a contact number by police for emergency use for a period of 90 days.
Arı also contacted the Interior Ministry, which had not responded as of Monday evening.
In a post on X, Arı said he was threatened “multiple times” by people claiming to know his home address and who also reached out to his relatives with threats and insults.
He identified the threats as retaliation for a report alleging that Gökhan Göz, accused of laundering money for a crime network, paid a $2.5 million bribe to avoid pretrial detention at Küçükçekmece Courthouse.
Göz was later arrested and jailed following publication of the article.
In his reporting Arı cited a woman who had filed a criminal complaint accusing Göz of sexual assault, blackmail, stalking and violating her privacy.
According to her statement, Göz told her while under the influence of alcohol and drugs that he had been a fugitive for six months and avoided arrest by paying a bribe to judicial officials.
She also accused Göz of coercing her into opening a bank account in her name for suspicious transactions and said she had received threats from people identifying as part of the same crime group.
Following the article, Arı received WhatsApp messages and calls saying, “We know where you live,” and “You’ll see me in your dreams,” according to screenshots shared by the journalist.
CPJ’s Turkey representative Özgür Öğret said authorities must act quickly and decisively to ensure the safety of Arı and his family.
“Turkish authorities in Ankara must take the threats made against journalist İsmail Arı and his relatives seriously and take decisive steps to better ensure their safety,” Öğret said in a statement.
“Authorities should swiftly and comprehensively investigate the threats and hold those responsible to account, so all journalists in Turkey can safely do their jobs.”
CPJ’s request for comment from the Interior Ministry received no response.
In recent years, Turkish media and watchdog groups have reported widespread allegations of bribery involving judges and prosecutors across multiple jurisdictions.
In one high-profile case, a forensic expert admitted to paying a bribe to avoid prison and named over 50 judges and prosecutors allegedly involved in similar misconduct.
Another recent scandal exposed a judge accused of hosting drug parties using narcotics taken from court evidence rooms and accepting bribes to influence trial outcomes.
Multiple reports by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO and Transparency International have documented a decline in Turkey’s judicial integrity and found a lack of serious government action to investigate or punish corrupt officials.
