Local Journalist Shot and Wounded

Journalist Kazım Şen, owner of the usak.tv news site, was shot at in front of his house in Uşak (interior of western Turkey). He was injured at his foot. The supposed attacker was arrested, the weapon was seized.

As reported by the Uşak Denge newspaper, 23-year-old Tekin Uğur was waiting for Uşak in front of his home when he arrived by car together with his wife Semra Şen. He shot Şen into his legs three times. Uğur was arrested shortly after; he was still carrying the unlicensed weapon. He admitted the offence in his first statement.

Four people were taken into custody upon Şen's statement, among them the former provincial chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). They were released when Uğur was arrested.

Şen commented the incident, "We, as journalists, fulfil our duty and make news about incidents of unsolved shootings. I do not know my attacker; it is not important who did this but who made him do this. We will continue writing the truth even if they shot a bullet into our brains".

Abdurrahman Yavuz, head of the Uşak Journalists Association, visited Şen at the Uşak State Hospital and condemned the attack on the journalist.

"I hope this will be the last attack on a member of the media whose only weapon is his pen. Even though this incident is bitter, it shows the difficult conditions journalists are working under in Uşak. It is our greatest wish to get rid of the needless attackers", Yavuz argued.

Yavuz Kuşdemir temporarily took over the duties of Şen. On the Uşak TV internet site he announced, "The bullets shot at Şen hit all journalists of Uşak. Even if our pen was shot at, it did not break and it has not been sold". He also said that Şen was in good condition. (EÇ/EÖ/VK)

Source: Milliyet newspaper.