Turkish journo slaps cameraman during interview with AKP mayor

Duvar English

Muharrem Sarıkaya, the Ankara representative of Turkey's pro-government Ciner Media Group, has resigned from the company after he received widespread criticism for slapping a cameraman.

The incident occurred on Dec. 19 as Sarıkaya was hosting Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Şahin, from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), on Habertürk TV for an interview.

The video that went viral on social media showed Sarıkaya slapping cameraman Ahmet Demir working for İhlas News Agency (İHA). The incident occurred as Demir was trying to help Sarıkaya and connect a cable.

In the face of this violence, there was a complete lack of response from Şahin and others around her. Following the incident, Şahin was widely criticized for her inaction, to which she responded in a written statement. She said that although she had not shown any response, she was very disturbed about it.

“Right after the incident, we talked with Muharrem Sarıkaya. And he apologized to Ahmet Demir. I would like to say that my lack of response at the time of the incident does not mean that I am not showing a reaction,” Şahin said.

On Dec. 19, Habertürk apologized for Sarıkaya's action, saying that such behavior is “not acceptable and has no explanation.” A day later, the media outlet announced that Sarıkaya had resigned from his post.

Sarıkaya also released a statement of apology on Twitter. He said on Twitter that he offers his apology to İHA cameraman Demir, İHA regional manager Orhan Akın, AKP mayor Şahin and the public.