Turkiye: Former Minister Attempts to Discredit Seyhan Avşar After Exposé Reveals His Secret Purchase of $3 Million Villa
Attempt to tarnish journalist’s reputation latest in a string of attacks launched against Avşar for her investigations
Location: Turkiye, Istanbul
Date: October 11, 2023
Former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu attacked Halk TV reporter Seyhan Avşar online after she broke the news that he secretly bought an extravagant villa. This attempt to discredit Avşar is a common tactic used by politicians when faced with scrutiny or pressure from the media and could have disastrous results. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands an apology from Soylu; his verbal attack on Avşar is unacceptable.
Süleyman Soylu, a politician with the ruling party, took to Twitter to attack Halk TV reporter Seyhan Avşar for revealing he secretly purchased a $3 million villa. Avşar reported that Soylu had acquired an expensive villa during his ministerial tenure before elections in May 2023. The Law and Justice Party politician was previously accused of involvement with criminal groups during his tenure as Interior Minister.
Soylu says his son bought the house and that he would not be moving there. The politician implied that publishing information about his son’s residence put him and his family’s safety at risk, making them vulnerable to a terrorist attack. To deflect attention from this extravagant purchase, Soylu tried to discredit Avşar’s professional reputation by referring to her as a “so-called journalist.”
Avşar responded to Soylu's criticism by listing previous news reports she had written about him and stating that she had done her job as a journalist. "Let this be my first and last response to all your insults, going beyond my status as a journalist," Avşar wrote on Twitter.
Soylu’s attack against Avşar is the latest violation in a litany of harassment targeting the journalist. Turkish authorities have routinely harassed Avşar for her reporting. She is facing a legal probe by the Ministry of Family and Social Services after reporting on child abuse in state care homes.
In February 2023, the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office investigated the journalist for an article she wrote about a detainee who passed away while under police custody. Avşar was also charged with insulting a public official after writing an article in 2020 concerning a prosecutor with a criminal history.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism denounces Soylu’s attempt to undermine Halk TV reporter Seyhan Avşar. Instead of criticizing the legitimacy of her reporting, the politician immediately launched a personal attack on the journalist. The impacts of a politician discrediting or insulting a journalist extend beyond the people involved. It can erode trust in the media, suppress press freedom, polarize public opinion, endanger journalists, and undermine the foundations of a healthy democracy. We demand that Soylu immediately retract his statement and apologize for his comments about the journalist.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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