Istanbul, June 14, 2024—Turkish authorities must do everything in their power to provide security for journalist Murat Ağırel and his family to protect them from harassment and intrusions, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.
Ağırel, a columnist for Cumhuriyet, a daily known for its critical coverage of the government, said he observed people wandering around and filming his house in Istanbul, picking through his trash, damaging his car, and following his family members, according to four videos the journalist posted Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, and a report by his outlet. Ağırel told CPJ he suspected these incidents were connected to his reporting and commentary on narcotics trafficking.
“Turkish authorities must do everything that they can to ensure the security of journalist Murat Ağırel and his family,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “The authorities should take swift action before something irrevocable happens and prove that members of the media in Turkey are not defenseless against those who harass them and mean them harm.”
Ağırel told CPJ that some of the people were identified by the police and questioned, but authorities took no further action after the suspects denied spying on the journalist.
Ağırel told CPJ he filed a criminal complaint with police and applied for a gun license, which was denied because of his 2020 conviction for violating the country’s national intelligence laws in his reporting on the death of a National Intelligence Agency officer.
Ağırel said authorities told him that he could apply to the police and ask for close protection, but he did not because he had already asked for that in the criminal complaint.
“It feels ridiculous to me to apply again [and] again,” Ağırel told CPJ.
On Thursday, CPJ emailed the Interior Ministry of Turkey, which oversees the police, asking about what security measures are being taken to protect Ağırel. The email did not receive a reply.