Cihan Hayırsevener

Güney Marmara’da Yaşam

December 19, 2009, in Bandirma, Turkey

Hayırsevener, 53, founder and editor of the daily Güney Marmara'da Yaşam, was shot three times in the leg while walking to his office in the town of Bandirma, northeast of Istanbul, at about 3 p.m., according to news reports and CPJ interviews. He died later that day at the Uludağ University Hospital in Bursa.

Umit Babacan, an editor at Güney Marmara'da Yaşam, told CPJ that Hayırsevener had received recent, anonymous death threats in connection with his journalism. Hayırsevener had reported on corruption charges involving the owners of İlkhaber, another major daily in Bandirma, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. Three principals in İlkhaber had been imprisoned on charges of accepting cash payouts from a former mayor, the paper said. In late December, police said they had identified three suspects, news reports said.

Medium: Print

Job: Editor, Publisher / Owner

Beats Covered: Corruption

Gender: Male

Local or Foreign: Local

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Murder

Suspected Source of Fire: Criminal Group

Impunity: Yes

Taken Captive: No

Tortured: No

Threatened: Yes

Related Articles:

• Editor killed by unknown gunmen in Turkey, December 21, 2009