Journalist faces online harassment after revealing alleged child marriage in Islamic group

The revelation of an alleged marriage of the daughter of a prominent religious figure at the age of six led to a social media campaign against the journalist who first reported on the incident.

Timur Soykan, a columnist for the daily BirGün, reported on December 3 about an investigation launched after H.K.G., who is now 24 years old, filed a complaint alleging that she was forced to marry a 29-year-old man, K.İ., in 1998.

After H.K.G. turned 18, they officially got married. The couple, who had a child, later divorced.

H.K.G. is the daughter of Yusuf Ziya Gümüşel, who heads the Hiranur Foundation affiliated with the İsmailağa sect, an Islamic community close to the government.

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The investigation file includes statements of H.K.G., as well as her conversations with K.İ. that she had secretly recorded, and her photos with K.İ. when she was a child, according to Soykan's article. In the conversations, H.K.G. accuses the man of abusing her when she was a child, which he refuses.

H.K.G.'s brother and two sisters released a video yesterday (December 8), denying the allegations. They said they had grown up in the same house and were not aware of such a marriage. The family claims H.K.G. married K.İ. at the age of 17.

Later in the day, a social media campaign was launched against Soykan, with hashtags demanding his trial and arrest becoming trending topics on Twitter in Türkiye.

"I wish those who campaign for [me being put on trial] speak out against child abuse in the darkness of sects, which we have witnessed many times. Instead, they become so vile to attack a news article based on documents and the indictment," Soykan wrote on Twitter. "We will of course continue to write against this darkness."

Several journalists and other social media users announced support for Soykan under the hashtag "Timur Soykan is not alone" (#TimurSoykanYalnızDeğildir).

"The horrible incident that Timur explained with evidence opened such a door where many similar abominations will come to light so that the sects panicked. With all their strength, they are trying to reduce the social impact with lies and social media," wrote Bahadır Özgür.

Murat Ağırel shared the blurred photos in the investigation file and wrote, "What do you see in these photos? A child aged 10 or 11..." (VK)