Erol Eğrek, a former employee at a Çalık Holding-owned textile factory in Turkmenistan, died on May 9 after being involved in a violent altercation with security personnel outside the company’s headquarters in İstanbul.
Eğrek had reportedly gone to Çalık Holding’s office in the Şişli district to demand 7 million Turkish liras (~180,000 US dollars) in compensation he had been seeking for over a decade.
The incident occurred outside the office when Eğrek, 48, reportedly arrived with a licensed firearm, which he held to his head while demanding his unpaid severance. Witnesses said about 10 men, reportedly company security personnel, disarmed him and began to beat him.
Eğrek lost consciousness during the incident and was taken by emergency responders to Cemil Taşçıoğlu State Hospital, where he later died. Security footage captured parts of the altercation. His body was transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for autopsy.
Family disputes cause of death
Journalist Bahadır Özgür spoke to Eğrek’s nephew, Mehmet Eğrek, who claimed the hospital listed the cause of death as a heart attack. He alleged this diagnosis overlooked signs of physical assault.
“When we saw his body at the morgue, we were shocked,” Mehmet said. “His jaw was broken, there was a deep gash under his chin, and his body was covered in bruises. But the death certificate said his death was not injury-related.”
Mehmet explained that his uncle had been fired without cause, along with 29 other employees. While the others received compensation following a legal battle, Eğrek’s severance was withheld.
“He had reported internal wrongdoing at the company during the government’s post-2016 anti-FETÖ campaign, and we believe that’s why his compensation was blocked,” he said, referring to the purge against members of the Fethullah Gülen religious cult, which was behind the 2016 coup attempt.
He also noted that Eğrek frequently visited the company to request his payment but had never resorted to violence.
Eğrek had returned to the building in Şişli ahead of his son’s wedding, desperate for the funds. His family learned of the incident only through social media, and struggled for hours to locate him.
Çalık Holding, in response to the incident, claimed that Erol Eğrek had already received his rightful compensation and had made “baseless accusations” against the company. The company stated it would follow the legal process closely.
Unions protest Çalık Holding
Labor unions and civil society organizations gathered in protest outside the Çalık Holding building on May 10, condemning Eğrek’s death as a workplace-related killing. Representatives from DİSK, KESK, TMMOB, TTB, the İstanbul Bar Association, and other groups demanded accountability.
Marching from Levent Metro to the company headquarters, protesters chanted slogans including “Çalık Holding must be held accountable” and “No salvation alone, either all of us or none of us.” A statement was read aloud by DİSK İstanbul regional representative Asalettin Arslanoğlu, who blamed both the company and the state.
“This is not just about security guards. The real culprit is the political system that turns Turkey into a hell for workers and a paradise for capital,” he said. “Çalık Holding draws its power from a government that forgives its tax debts and rewards it with incentives.”
Arslanoğlu added that attacks on workers’ rights would not go unanswered. “We will not allow this crime, or others like it, to go unpunished.”
İstanbul Bar Association board member Ahmet Ergin said the family had formally approached the bar for legal support. “This is not a case of just a few guards acting alone,” he said. “Systemic failures, from lack of oversight to judicial delays, contributed to this death.”
Students from Yıldız Technical University and the Turkish-German University also joined the protest, stating, “Çalık Holding draws its boldness from the current regime and its allies. We will resist all forms of injustice until this country returns to its founding democratic values.” (VK)
