Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova is among eight women fighting for freedom of expression Archives

Hürriyet columnist and CNNTürk program host Ahmet Hakan legally requested that the Turkish government appoint a permanent security detail 17 days before he was targeted in a physical attack on Oct. 1, legal documents show.

Four men, arriving in a black Honda at 12:35 a.m. on Oct. 1, attacked Hakan in Istanbul’s Nişantaşı neighborhood, as he was returning home after hosting his television program.

Hakan was hospitalized with broken bones in his nose and ribs after he was beaten by three assailants. Another assailant targeted his private bodyguard, who was commissioned by daily Hürriyet.

The attack was preceded last month by a physical attack on daily Hürriyet’s headquarters in Istanbul by pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) protesters on the night of Sept. 6. AKP deputy Abdurrahim Boynukalın was filmed amid that attack delivering a fiery speech in front of the Hürriyet office, and he was also filmed in another video explicitly threatening Hakan.

The veteran Hürriyet journalist has also been a regular target in Turkey’s pro-AKP media outlets.

“Like schizophrenia patients, you still think you are living in the days when Hürriyet was running the country. But we could crush you like a fly if we wanted. We have been merciful until today and you are still alive,” pro-government Star newspaper columnist Cem Küçük had written in a Sept. 9 article, addressing Hakan. A criminal complaint against Küçük has been filed since the piece appeared.

Istanbul Governor admits shortcomings in phone call

After the threats, Hakan’s lawyer Turgut Kazan spoke on the phone with Interior Minister Selami Altınok, personally requesting an official bodyguard due to the “imminent threat,” daily Hürriyet has learned.

Another lawyer, Aslı Kazan, also sent a written application to the Istanbul Governor’s Office on Sept. 14 to repeat Hakan’s request for a permanent bodyguard.

At the time Hakan was attacked on Oct. 1, the government had yet to respond to the request. Officials told lawyers that the request would be reviewed after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which ended in Turkey on Sept. 28.

The Istanbul Governor’s Office released a written statement on Oct.1. “Upon his request, [he] was granted ‘security upon call,’ but our investigation reveals that he did not request security on the day of the attack,” the statement read. It did not elaborate why a permanent security detail was not granted.

Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin called Ahmet Hakan after the attack. “We think we were a little late in taking precautions. We will now take all precautions to protect you. Get well soon,” he said, according to a source.

Interior Minister Selami Altınok, on the other hand, later said that Hakan’s request was actually approved two ago, but “the procedure took longer” to appoint the bodyguard.

All suspects of the Sept. 6 and Sept. 8 attacks on the Hürriyet headquarters were released after briefly being detained by police and no legal proceedings had been launched against MP Boynukalın as of Oct. 1.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Index on Censorship recognized Azeri journalist Khadija Ismayilova among eight women “who fought for freedom of expression in the last year,” reports the Radio Liberty site.

The statement of the organization read that Ismayilova has stood up for freedom of expression when it was not the easy or popular thing to do, against fierce opposition and often at great personal risk.

The Radio liberty notes that the journalist is an author of several investigative reports exposing corruption inside Azerbaijan’s ruling elite.
Their publication by RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service in 2012 unleashed an ongoing defamation campaign against Ismayilova that has included online harassment, physical threats, interrogations and false accusations of espionage in the country’s pro-government press.

Meltem Arikan, a writer from Turkey; Anabel Hernandez, a crusading journalist from Mexico; and Jillian York, Director of Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) were also recognized for their courageous contributions to freedom of speech.

In March 2012, Khadija Ismayilova, “Radio Liberty” journalist, was subjected to blackmail and threats while conducting investigation on the secret business of Aliyev clan. She told this to the press declaring about the threats after which her intimate video record taken with a hidden camera appeared in the internet. Ismayilova was subjected to harassment by pro-governmental media in Azerbaijan, which accused her of “immorality.” Independent experts and advocates have argued that the video has been taken by special services of Azerbaijan.