Greek radicals target Turkish journalists

ANKARA

Turkish reporters working for Anadolu Agency (AA) who recently traveled to the Greek island of Meis to cover recent developments, received threats from an anti-Turkish website that had obtained their passport information from authorities.

AA’s Athens Representative Tevfik Durul and photojournalist Ayhan Mehmet flew from the Greek capital to Rhodes and reached the island via ship.

A Greece-based anti-Turkish website called Turkikanea.gr published a provocative editorial a few hours after they arrived.

“Why do we allow Turkish spies of the National Intelligence Organization [MİT] to go to [Meis]? Why did we let them set foot on the island? Don’t we know what these MİT spies are trying to do? We hope the authorities will do what is necessary!” the website read.

The website also published a photo of Durul’s passport, a copy of which should only be kept by Greek authorities and not shared with anyone.

An explanation is expected from Greece on how the site managed to obtain a photo of the pass-port as Durul had not shown the page to anyone besides authorities during his trips to Athens and Kastellorizo.

The website also acted provocatively by posting information on Mehmet’s birthplace.

“Targeting the two journalists who went to the island to follow up on the news is a heavy blow to press freedom,” Şenol Kazancı, the agency’s director-general, said in a statement.

Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun criticized Greece for releasing confidential information about the journalists to a website.

“You will pay the price if those Turkish reporters come in harm’s way. Nobody can silence Anadolu Agency, whose staff work in the most hostile environments, through threats, intimidation or the publication of their personal information,” Altun said on Twitter.

“We condemn the Greek authorities’ efforts to incite violence through a fascist website against AA journalists in [Meis]. The Greek journalists work freely in Turkey, which the EU loves to lecture on press freedom, as Greece, an EU member that acts like a mafia state, is worth noting,” Altun added.