Owner and managing editor of local newspaper 'Kocaeli Ses', Güngör Arslan was targeted in an armed attack at his office. A suspect has been arrested.
This statement was originally published on bianet.org on 21 February 2022.
Released in September 2021 following a trial in which he was facing “blackmail” charges, the owner of Kocaeli Ses newspaper, Güngör Arslan, has lost his life in an armed attack. A day before, he had written about a tender involving the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality.
Güngör Arslan, the owner and managing editor of the local Kocaeli Ses newspaper, was targeted in an armed attack at his office.
Arslan was taken to the Kocaeli State Hospital after the attack on Saturday (February 19), where he succumbed to his injuries. After examining the scene of the incident, the police were able to apprehend a suspect who had fled the crime scene.
In a written statement released by the Governor’s Office of Kocaeli, it was announced that the alleged perpetrator, who was identified as R.Ö., was caught in possession of the murder weapon. The Governor’s Office also indicated that a comprehensive investigation had been launched into the incident.
Suspect alleges two individuals urged him to carry out the attack
With his interrogation at the security directorate still ongoing as of today (February 21), the suspected perpetrator gave his first statement.
Police officers launched operations at several addresses following his first statement. They also requested additional time from the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to complete the interrogation.
In his first statement, R.Ö. said that two people had urged him to commit the crime, reportedly telling him, “We will make you very comfortable. You will have no problems. Neither will your family.”
The suspect said that he knew these two people from the neighborhood and a day before the murder, they test-fired the weapon in an empty field.
According to R.Ö.’s statement, a day after this test-fire, he went to Güngör Arslan’s office and said that he wanted to talk to him about a news report. After having a row with him at his office, R.Ö. fired two shots at Arslan’s foot. Thinking that Arslan might try to come at him, he fired 4-5 shots into the air. He speculated that one of these bullets may have hit Arslan.
R.Ö. also alleged that though the two individuals told him to “kill” Arslan, he did not want to kill the journalist. After the alleged instigators sent him a lawyer for his defense, R.Ö. reportedly rejected the move by saying, “I don’t want a lawyer sent by you.”
Arslan was frequently threatened, according to his daughter
Güngör Arslan’s daughter Nazlıcan Arslan stated that her father had frequently received threats, noting that these threats were ongoing in the past days: “There are people whom we filed complaints against. An attack was carried out against our newspaper. Its perpetrators were the owners of the Imperial Park Hotel. A lawsuit was filed; they compensated us for our losses. No action was taken about the physical attacks on my father.”
Politicians were at the funeral
After prayers at the Fevziye Mosque in central İzmit yesterday (February 20), Güngör Arslan was laid to rest in Bağçeşme Cemetery.
The funeral was attended by several citizens, as well as Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz, Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kocaeli Provincial Organization Chair Özgür Yıldızlı, Felicity Party (SP) Provincial Chair Zafer Mutlu, DEVA Party Provincial Chair Adem Koç, CHP Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Group Deputy Chair Engin Taşdemir, CHP İzmit District Chair Hakan Çakar, CHP former Provincial Chair Cengiz Sarıbay and İzmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet.
Journalists condemn the attack
The Kocaeli Journalists Association (KOCAGE) released a statement condemning the attack. The Association also expressed its wishes that the perpetrator or perpetrators be caught in the shortest time possible.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Representative to Turkey Erol Önderoğlu has also made a statement about the deadly attack. Condemning the attack on behalf of RSF, Önderoğlu has said:
“We want the cause of the attack to be brought to light and all responsible parties to be penalized in the severest way possible. Last year, radio presenter Hazım Özsu was also killed in Bursa by a person from his audience who did not like his comments. If the life of Güngör Arslan is taken due to his profession, this shows that Turkey is no longer a safe country for journalists amid the hostile climate that has been in place for years.”
The journalist had criticized the mayor in his last article
In his last article published a day before his killing, Güngör Arslan wrote that Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor Tahir Büyükakın had allocated a tender for the construction of the Health City complex of 502 houses by Kent Konut in Kartepe, to his close friend’s company, Haldız Construction.
Güngör Arslan wrote, “Risking everything to save Haldız from the economic crisis he has found himself in, he has given the Kent Konut project of the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality to Haldız Construction. […] Tahir Büyükakın has to respond to these allegations.”
Arslan had served 6 months for ‘blackmailing’
In 2021, Arslan had been detained for “threats and blackmailing”, along with the owner of the Gündem Kocaeli newspaper, Ümit Rende. Arslan and Rende were arrested on March 21, 2021. After spending 188 days behind bars, Arslan was released after the first hearing at the Kocaeli 12th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Arslan had previously been detained due to similar accusations and criminal complaints. After his Bizim Kocaeli newspaper was closed following the coup attempt in 2016, Arslan was detained as a “FETÖ” [Fethullah Terrorist Organisation] suspect. He was acquitted in the trial, but his newspaper and property were seized.
