Journalist Yılmaz Attacked Twice in Three Months

Journalist Çetin Yılmaz was attacked by the bodyguards of Necmi Kadıoğlu, Mayor of the Esenyurt district of Istanbul. This was the second assault against the journalist after an attack by bodyguards of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in November 2010.

As reported by the Evrensel newspaper on 18 January, Yılmaz, concessionaire of the local Alternatif Doğuş Newspaper ('Alternative Generation'), was identified as a target by Mayor Kadıoğlu and beaten by his bodyguards.

It was reported that Kadıoğlu suddenly interrupted his speech delivered at a meeting of the Esenyurt Builders Association when he spotted Yılmaz in the audience. He apparently asked him, "Who are you? Who invited you here? I know you are from a gang; I am not afraid of you". When Yilmaz rose to his feet subsequently to reply, he was assaulted by the bodyguards, it was said.

Kadıoğlu supposedly poured out insults against judges during his speech. When he realized employees of Ekin TV recording his speech, he allegedly directed his bodyguards' attention to Yılmaz and the cameraman

Yılmaz attended the meeting upon the invitation of Adnan Güneş as the Head of the association. The journalist described the incident as follows:

"After the mayor had pointed at me calling me the leader of a gang, his bodyguards and supporters walked me over and took me out of the room. They took the cassette from the Ekin TV cameraman by force and physically harassed me".

"I am sick anyways, I could have died in the attack. Therefore I went to the Esenyurt State Hospital and took a report that documents that I have been beaten. Subsequently, I filed a criminal complaint against the mayor and his bodyguards".

A few months ago, Yılmaz filed another criminal complaint, claiming that he had been beaten by Saffet Demirci, a supposed bodyguard of PM Erdoğan.

Investigation into attendants of press release in Antalya

The Prosecution of Elmalı (Antalya) launched an investigation about 80 people on the grounds of a press release issued by the Alevi Culture Association in the Elmalı Tekke village in the course of the "Aşura Festival".

The press release was made in protest of the opening of a marble quarry next to the Abdal Musal Tomb. Among the people subject to the investigation are also a nine-year old child and journalist Dilek Omaklılar who attended the event in the course of her duty for the Evrensel Newspaper.

The Alevi Culture Associations Konyaaltı Branch protested the investigation in an announcement made on the Kışlahan Square. Nuriye Çiçek announced on behalf of the branch:

"The prosecution opened a trial against the vast majority of the attendants of the press release and called them to the police in the middle of the night to take their statements", she announced.

"Everybody knows that the Dur Mountain, holy to the Alevi, was plundered. While the perpetrators continue with this massacre, the responsible persons are trying to terrify and intimidate our people by this sort of oppression".

"We expect everybody to respect the places that carry a value of faith for Alevis and that are considered sacred by them". (EÇ/EÖ/VK)