Watchmen attack journalists reporting on missing toddler in Istanbul

Duvar English

Watchmen battered a group of journalists in Istanbul's Beylikdüzü district on Aug. 17 as they were reporting on the discovery of an unconscious three-year-old inside an apartment building. 

The watchmen attacked reporters Ahmet Yeşilmen and Kubilay Özev from the Demirören News Agency (DHA) and Erdal Can İçelli from the İhlas News Agency (İHA) as the journalists were capturing footage from the scene.

Yeşilmen was recording footage on his phone to speed up the news production process when one of the watchmen smacked his hand and was further harassed when he protested. 

İçelli's protest of the watchmen's intervention further heated up the conflict and locals got involved and attacked the reporters. 

"Me, Kubilay Özev and İHA reporter Erdal Can İçelli were attacked by watchmen in Beylikdüzü where we were reporting," Yeşilmen tweeted.

The toddler who was the subject of the reporting had gone missing in front of the apartment building she lived in with her family, was later found in the elevator shaft and died in the hospital on Aug. 17. 

Watchmen in Turkey have gained increasingly more authority under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), raising concerns over the limits of their power as paralegal law enforcement. 

Turkish minister prevents journalist from reporting on fire-hit areaMedia

Germany warns Turkish journalist about 'execution list' of Erdoğan criticsHuman Rights

Turkish pro-gov't journalist advertises gun company, poses with rifleMedia