Journalist Altan Sancar reveals receiving threats on social media

Journalist Altan Sancar has faced threats as an Instagram user with the handle 'Jitemci' sent him a photo featuring bullets on the Turkish flag. The handle alludes to JİTEM, or Gendarmerie Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism, an agency held responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings during the conflict in the country's Kurdish regions in the 1990s, althoug its existence has not been officially admitted.

Sharing the visual threat message on social media, Sancar recalled previous intimidations and expressed frustration over the lack of results from previous criminal complaints.

Having identified the person responsible for the threats residing in Kayseri, Sancar said, "I began receiving threat messages exactly four years ago. Two years ago, in Diyarbakır, I was threatened at gunpoint by individuals in an unlicensed vehicle that blocked my path at midnight.

"I filed criminal complaints for both incidents. A considerable amount of time has passed, yet there have been no developments in either case. Today, I started receiving similar threats with bullets again. Those who neglect to investigate these files, just as much as those who send threatening messages regarding the slightest adversity that might befall me or my family, are equally responsible.

"The individual behind the threat message resides in Kayseri, previously revealed when they accidentally sent a message from their personal account instead of the intended anonymous account." (HA/VK)