Journalist Ahmet Takan Attacked

Click to read the article in Turkish

Ahmet Takan, a columnist for Korkusuz newspaper, was attacked in front of his house in Dikmen, Ankara yesterday (November 20).

A person in his late twenties hit Takan on the waist and back with a baseball bat. While the assaulter escaped from the scene of incident, leaving the baseball bat behind, the police took down a report, took the bat for examination and launched an investigation.

Journalist Takan was hospitalized at 29 Mayıs Hospital after the incident. He received a medical report documenting that he was battered.

Discharged from the hospital, Takan went to the police station and filed a criminal complaint against the assaulter.

'I have been threatened for a long time'

As reported by Yavuz Alatan from daily Sözcü, Takan has stated the following about the attack:

"I have been threatened for a long time, even for years. But, these threats never turned into a physical attack, till now.

"All of a sudden, the assaulter walked up to me with a baseball bat in his hand, I realized him and made a move.

"The bat hit me on the waist and back. I will keep on writing with the courage of my convictions as a journalist."

Before Korkusuz, he was writing for Yeniçağ

Known for reporting behind-the-scenes political news, Takan was previously working as the Ankara Representative of daily Yeniçağ. On June 26, 2018, he announced his resignation from the newspaper in following words:

"It is equally difficult to be a journalist and remain a journalist in Turkey. To this day, I have done journalism solely for the sake of values that I believe in. I am leaving you 'for the sake of the survival of the institution.' Hope to reunite with you in another place!"

Takan has been writing articles for Korkusuz since November 7.

He was among the ones targeted by MHP Chair

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli had a full page advertisement published on several newspapers on June 26, 2018, shortly after the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The ad included a list of names who allegedly "defamed and wrongly accused" the MHP.

The name of Ahmet Takan was also on that list.

CLICK - MHP Leader Publishes Names of Opposition Figures

MHP's Büyükataman called him a 'pen for hire'

After Ahmet Takan penned an article entitled "Will someone from the AKP chair the MHP?" on November 13, MHP Secretary General İsmet Büyükataman has slammed Takan over this article.

Büyükataman has said, "Now, he is using his pen for hire to play into the hands of those who have desires for changing the MHP Chair. There is no one who will take people like Ahmet Takan seriously."

CLICK - Assaulters of Journalist Sabahattin Önkibar Released as Well

CLICK - At Least 31 Journalists Attacked, 1 Journalist Killed in the Last 17 Months

CLICK - 'Impunity Encouraging Violence Against Journalists Paves the Way for New Attacks'

(EKN/SD)