Der Spiegel withdraws reporter after death threats over Soma disaster story

ISTANBUL

Kazim said he believed he was targeted in an organized campaign of Twitter 'trolls'

Der Spiegel magazine has withdrawn its reporter from Turkey, Hasnain Kazim, after he received death threats over a report in the wake of the Soma disaster last week, German media reported May 20.

The headline to the piece quoted the reaction of a miner in Soma who said “Go to hell, Erdoğan,” which stirred the anger of supporters of the Turkish government.

Kazim has reportedly received over 10,000 threats via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. One of the messages even threatened to “cut his throat.”

The German magazine’s deputy editor-in-chief told German daily Zeit that it had taken the decision as it considered the security of its reporter to be more important than covering the news in Turkey.

For his part, Kazim noted that most of the Twitter accounts threatening him did not have any followers, adding that he believed he was targeted in an organized campaign of Twitter “trolls.”

The mine disaster in Soma claimed the lives of 301 workers, triggering a public debate over the government’s possible responsibility for the lack of implementation of safety legislation.