Mayor threatens local journalist in Turkey: ‘We will teach him his lesson’
Istanbul, October 16, 2024—CPJ expressed deep concern after a recently released recording of an August 15 press conference included comments from Tatvan Mayor Mümin Erol, in which Erol told reporters that he would attack journalist Sinan Aygül if he could and congratulated the former mayor’s bodyguards, who attacked and hospitalized the journalist in June 2023. …
Turkish prosecutors charge journalist Sinan Aygül for threatening his attackers
Istanbul, May 22, 2024 – Turkish authorities must drop charges against journalist Sinan Aygül alleging that he threatened the men who attacked him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In June 2023, Aygül, chief editor of the privately owned local news website Bitlis News and chair of the local trade group Bitlis Journalists Society, was hospitalized after he was…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül convicted for ‘insulting’ men who beat him; attackers get suspended sentences
Istanbul, January 25, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday called on Turkish authorities to ensure justice in the case of journalist Sinan Aygül, who was hospitalized by an assault last year. The 1st Tatvan Court of First Instance in the eastern province of Bitlis found Aygül, chief editor of the privately owned…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül sentenced to 6 months in prison for trespassing
Istanbul, September 20, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the six-month sentence issued to Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül on Tuesday, in connection with his journalistic activity. “The people charged with the vicious assault that landed journalist Sinan Aygül in hospital in June were released on bail by a Turkish court last week. This week, Aygül…
Turkish courts keep 2 reporters in pretrial detention, grant bail to bodyguards charged with attack on a journalist
Istanbul, September 15, 2023—Turkish authorities should not continue imprisoning journalists for their reporting while granting bail to those charged with assaulting them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Thursday, September 14, the 2nd Tatvan Court of Penal Peace granted bail to Yücel Baysali and Engin Kaplan, two bodyguards of the mayor of the…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül hospitalized after attack by Tatvan mayor’s bodyguards
Istanbul, June 20, 2023 — Turkish authorities should hold to account all those involved in the recent assault of local journalist Sinan Aygül, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 17, two men attacked Aygül, chief editor of the privately owned website Bitlis News and chair of the Bitlis Journalists Society, in the…
Turkish courts find 4 journalists guilty on criminal charges ahead of elections
Istanbul, May 9, 2023—Turkish authorities should not contest the appeals of the four journalists recently sentenced by multiple courts because of their reporting or commentary and should ensure that the media is not threatened by judicial harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Since April 20, authorities have sentenced journalists Sinan Aygül, Bülent…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül sentenced to 10 months in prison under new disinformation law
Tatvan, Turkey, February 28, 2023 – A court in Turkey on Tuesday, February 28, sentenced journalist Sinan Aygül to 10 months in prison for allegedly spreading disinformation, according to news reports. Aygül is the first journalist prosecuted under Turkey’s new disinformation amendment, passed in October 2022, that CPJ has documented. He remains free pending an…
Turkish journalist Sinan Aygül arrested under new ‘disinformation’ law
Istanbul, December 15, 2022 – Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sinan Aygül and reform the country’s new anti-disinformation law to ensure that it is not used to harass and imprison members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Wednesday, December 14, authorities in the eastern province of Bitlis arrested Aygül,…
Turkish authorities arrest journalist Sinan Aygül for refusing to pay fine
Istanbul, September 13, 2022—Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist Sinan Aygül and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Aygül, chief editor of the privately owned local news website Bitlis News and chair of the Bitlis Journalists Society, a local trade group, was arrested by police in the eastern city…