Suspicious Death of Reporter of Kurdish Daily

34-year-old Metin Alataş, a journalist working for Azadiya Welat daily newspaper published in Kurdish, was found dead in the Hadırlı district of Adana in the predominantly Kurdish region of south-eastern Turkey on 4 April. Nobody had heard from Alataş since he had gone to the district and distributed copies of the daily on 3 April.

Boltan: He might have been killed by illegal forces

bianet spoke to diplomacy service editor Hakkı Boltan: "There are contradictory aspects in our opinion. It will be clear soon. In times when our employees are encountering such intense pressure, we think there is still the possibility that Alataş was killed by illegal forces or that he was forced to commit suicide", Boltan stated.

Boltan indicated that the prosecutor carrying out the investigation would not be able to come to a definite conclusion with the information on hand. A letter was allegedly found close to Alataş reading "To friends and family..." and not being continued afterwards. Boltan said that they did not know yet what to make out of it.

"Why should a person that came this far despite major economic difficulty end his life like that? We think that the prosecutor has got no information such as a letter or a message".

Alataş's family refused to testify

Alataş was found hung in a tree. His body was taken to the Adana Forensic Medicine Institute. The police initiated an investigation. They faced harsh criticism by the journalist's friends and family when the police tried to take the statement of Alataş's father in front of the Forensic Medicine Institute. Thereupon, newspaper lawyer Vedat Özkan gave his statement at the police station.

When the police said they "did not accept the lawyer", Alataş's father and older brother decided not to testify.

Preliminary report: strangulation, no beating

The preliminary autopsy report stated strangulation as the reason of death. Lawyer Özkan said that the final report will be issued within two or three months.

The preliminary report was based on an investigation supervised by Alataş's father Bekir Alataş and a prosecutor. According to lawyer Özkan, it is stated that the journalist was strangled that his body did not show any signs of beating such as injuries and bruises. Özkan furthermore confirmed that the prosecutor found the first line of a letter at the place the body was found.

Alataş's family had moved from the city of Mardin (south-eastern Anatolia) to Adana in the 1990's because of the pressure they had experienced in their old home town.

Previous application to the prosecution because of assault

Alataş had been subject of an assault four months earlier. Five unidentified people approached him in a car with an Adana number plate when the journalist distributed newspaper copies in front of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) building on 22 December 2009. Atalaş was beaten and had to undergo medical treatment in hospital.

Atalaş filed a criminal complaint at the Adana Public Prosecution and claimed that he was constantly observed. However, no action was taken. Atalaş's father said that his son did not have any problems and stated that he was killed. (EÖ/VK)