The alarming trend of death threats against journalists in Turkish Cyprus has reached a new peak, with Pinar Barut, editor-in-chief of Ozgur Gazete, becoming the third journalist this year to report such threats.
On Monday, Barut disclosed that she had received chilling messages targeting both her and her family. The threats, allegedly part of an extortion attempt, included warnings that her home and workplace would be set ablaze and that harm would come to her loved ones if demands were not met.
According to reports, the perpetrators demanded a staggering one million USD “per person,” ominously stating that “bullets will speak” if their demands were ignored. These threats have raised serious concerns about press freedom in the region.
Turkish Cypriot media speculate that organised crime may be behind these menacing messages. Barut’s threats were reportedly sent from one-use SIM cards, complicating efforts by local authorities to trace the culprits. The Turkish Cypriot Journalists’ Union (KTGB) has openly warned that the north could be transforming into a “haven for criminals,” underscoring the gravity of the situation.
The Turkish Cypriot Press Workers’ Union (Basin-Sen) has also raised alarms about increasing crime rates in the north, indicating that media professionals have now become targets in a pattern that previously saw businessmen threatened by organised crime groups.
Barut’s experience follows that of two other journalists in recent months who also reported receiving death threats. In May, Aysemden Akin, known for her investigative articles on a deep money-laundering and smuggling network in Cyprus, faced similar intimidation. After her work implicated powerful figures in Turkey, she found herself in conflict with the Turkish Cypriot “police” regarding promised protection, especially after one of her interview subjects was murdered in the Netherlands.
In September, another journalist, Canan Onurer, received death threats after refusing to retract a report on alleged criminal activities involving new arrivals from Turkey. These incidents highlight a growing climate of fear among journalists, who are increasingly wary of the risks associated with their work.
The current situation is reminiscent of the 2022 assassination of Halil Falyali, a businessman with alleged underworld connections, who was shot and killed in his car in the north. This escalating violence against individuals connected to the media and business sectors in Turkish Cyprus not only threatens personal safety but also poses a dire risk to freedom of expression.
