Journalist Murdered in Istanbul While Playing Snowball

Nuh Köklü, a journalist and former editor at bianet, has been assaulted with a knife by a local business worker after a snowball hit the shop window. Köklü lost his life despite all medical efforts. He was 46 years old. 

The incident took place around 10pm local time in Istanbul’s Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood as he left from a solidarity house and started to play snowball with his friends. 

According to witnesses, Köklü was assaulted by a local business worker as one of the snowballs hit a shop window. He was wounded with a knife while he was helping to lift up  a friend who fell from the attack. 

Stabbed in the heart, Nuh Köklü was hospitalized at Haydarpaşa Numune Hospital. Despite all medical efforts, he lost his life around 11:50pm. Köklü’s body will be transferred to Ankara for funeral.

Who is Nuh Köklü?

Nuh Köklü worked as editor at bianet between 2002 and 2003. Having lived abroad for a while, he then started working in Sabah newspaper. On 13 February 2009, he was one of the ATV-Sabah media workers who started a strike. A former workplace representative at Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), Köklü was one of the 10 journalists who were laid off after the strike. In May 2014, he was also laid off from NTV. (HK/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.