Following the killing of ArmenianjournalistHrant Dink in Istanbul on 19 January 2007 various lists of journalists killed in Turkey since the early 20th century were published. One such list was published by the Turkish Association of Journalists. It contains 64 names of journalists killed between 1909 and 2009. A "Platform of imprisoned journalists" published a list in April 2012 that contained 112 names. Yet, it is difficult to obtain detailed information in particular on early cases, in order to determine whether the deaths had been assassinations directly linked to the profession of the victims. It also appears that some people were not journalists by profession, but affiliated to certain publications as readers, vendors or even part-time publishers of political comments. These people will not be included in the lists, apart from people who were killed because they distributed certain publications. In some cases, the state has been seen guilty for assassinating Kurdish journalists.
The early years
For the years up to the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 little is known about the journalists named in the lists. They may have been killed or become victims of enforced disappearance, several of them during the Armenian Genocide. Only few of the journalists that were killed in Turkey until 1923 have a separate page, where you can find additional information. The 40 journalists that allegedly died as a result of violent attacks are:
Only few cases of journalists killed in Turkey between the foundation of the Republic and the military coup of 12 September 1980 were listed. Yet, some of these killings were high-profile assassinations that contributed to the atmosphere of political violence that the Turkish army used as the main reason for its intervention. A bit more information is available on some of the 15 cases reported for this period:
Killings in the 1980s and 1990s with laicist journalists as targets
After the military coup of 1980 fewer journalists were killed in the fight between the radical left and the extreme right. After the end of the 1980s there have been several killings of journalists known for their anti-government attitude and secular. In some cases members of radical Islamic organizations have been prosecuted and condemned for these killings. In one case a militant of the PKK allegedly confessed to such a killing. Other killings in the 1980s and 1990s include:
In the 1990s the Kurdish-Turkish conflict became harsher with a large number of casualties on both sides. At the same time more and more civilians fell victim to extrajudicial killings, murders by unknown assailants, a term used in Turkish to indicate that the perpetrators were not identified because of them being protected by the State and cases of disappearance. Soon after the pro-Kurdish press had started to publish the first daily newspaper by the name of "Özgür Gündem" killings of Kurdish journalists started. In many cases, the state was blamed for murders and in some cases the Turkish variety of the radical Islamic organization Hizbullah was made responsible for the killings, in others the PKK was accused, but the majority remained without a clear indication to the persons behind the fatal attacks. Hardly any of them has been clarified or resulted in sanctions for the assailants. Among the 33 journalists that were killed in the first half of the 1990s are also cases not related to the Kurdish conflict. In 2008, the European Court of Human Right condemned Turkey for executing and assassinating Kurdish journalists and writers. Musa Anter, a prominent Kurdish writer, was killed by the state in 1992. Among Kurdish patriots the "tradition" that started with Özgür Gündem is often called "history of the free press". In this context the figure of 76 victims is often mentioned. While the lists compiled under such headings contain 73 names it has to be said that they include names of journalists and distributors that were killed by the Turkish state, Turkish JITEM and under tragic circumstances. In 2008, the ECHR has condemned Turkey for assassinating Musa Anter who was working for Özgur Gundem. Yet, the number of staff members of the "free press" and volunteers to distribute dailies and weeklies termed "Kurdish free press" that were killed "on duty", particularly during the early stages of reporting on the Kurdish question in Turkey remains high. The list of names of distributors of Özgür Gündem and its successors that were killed includes 18 names. Among the 33 journalists that were killed between 1990 and 1995 most were working for the so-called Kurdish Free Press. At the same time several people distributing pro-Kurdish newspaper in the region under a state of emergency, were killed, too. The list of names of distributors of Özgür Gündem and its successors that were killed includes 18 names:
Killings of journalists since 1995
The killings of journalists in Turkey since 1995 are more or less individual cases. Most prominent among the victims is Hrant Dink, killed in 2007, but the death of Metin Göktepe also raised great concern, since police officers beat him to death. Since 2014, several Syrian journalists who were working from Turkey and reporting on the rise of Daesh have been assassinated. The death of Metin Alataş in 2010 is also a source of disagreement - while the autopsy claimed it was suicide, his family and colleagues demanded an investigation. He had formerly received death threats and had been violently assaulted.
