Bodyguards of Musavat Dervişoğlu, leader of the opposition Good (İYİ) Party, assaulted journalists in Çorum during a meeting with party members.
The altercation began when Dervişoğlu’s security team prevented journalists from covering the event. When reporters objected, the bodyguards reportedly attempted to forcibly remove them from the venue. Some journalists were physically attacked, while others had their phones confiscated or attempts were made to seize them.
Several journalists, including Volkan Sınayuç from Çorum Haber newspaper, Halil Can Özeker from İhlas News Agency (İHA), Erkan Karaca, editor-in-chief of Leblebi TV, Engin Erenler, owner of Çorum Net TV, and Cuma Şahin, owner of Haberci19 news website, were among those targeted during the incident.
Following the assault, the journalists filed complaints against the bodyguards.
The Çorum branch of the Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC) condemned the incident, saying, "It is utterly unacceptable for journalists, who fulfill a public duty and serve as a source of information for the public, to face such treatment, especially as invited participants at an event," the association said in a statement. "We extend our support to our colleagues who were subjected to this violence and condemn the incident in the strongest terms."
BIA Media Monitoring Reports
(HA/VK)
