The International Press Institute (IPI) expresses grave concern over death threats targeting investigative journalists İsmail Arı and Osman Çaklı in Turkey. Arı, a reporter for BirGün newspaper, received threats after his reporting on the ‘Şahinler’ organized crime network and an article about alleged court bribery. Similarly, Çaklı was threatened by the ‘Daltonlar’ organized crime network for his journalistic work.
Of particular concern, Arı received not only personal threats but also a list of his relatives’ information through a messaging app from an unknown foreign number. At least one family member has received direct threats. Arı filedcomplaints with the police and the Ministry of Interior regarding these threats. Despite these complaints and the serious nature of the incident, the police only provided the journalists with a 90-day “caution protection” number for reporting additional incidents.
IPI urges Turkish authorities to urgently investigate these threats and ensure that both the journalists and their families are protected.
Legal pressure mounts: Multiple forms of judicial harassment and censorship
Beyond physical threats, Arı is also facing judicial harassment. On May 21, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against him through its Terror and Organized Crime Bureau. Arı offered to provide a statement, which the authorities rejected. Authorities have also classified the case file as confidential, which obscures the nature of the investigation and prevents him from assessing the allegations or preparing an adequate defense.
This is not the first time that Arı has been targeted for his work. In June 2024, he faced an investigation over his book “Menzil’in Kasası” about the Menzil Community’s commercial relationships, with claimants seeking to have the book destroyed.
Additionally, in August 2024, access to his article about alleged tax evasion by a company belonging to the president’s son was blocked by court order.
Threats escalate: More investigative journalists face death threats
In another concerning case on March 17, journalist Ceren Deniz received threats while investigating sexual assault and abuse allegations against an Antalya Metropolitan Municipality employee. Even before publication, private individuals tried to force Deniz to drop the story, demanding she remove specific names and sending threatening messages to intimidate her.
We strongly urge authorities to take immediate and decisive action to protect journalists and thoroughly investigate those who threaten them. Journalists must be allowed to conduct their investigations and inform the public without facing judicial harassment or intimidation.
Failing to address threats and attacks on journalists emboldens further attacks, both off- and online. The pattern of threats against journalists and impunity for those responsible must be broken to ensure press freedom and the public’s right to information.
This statement was produced by IPI as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and candidate countries, funded by the European Commission.