Journalist Hakan Tosun Passed Away After Being Attacked

Speaking in front of Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, where Hakan Tosun was receiving treatment, Dr. Demet Parlar, a member of the Climate Justice Coalition, said, "We were saddened to learn of the brain death of our valued friend, environmental activist, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, Hakan Tosun. His loss is a profound and heartbreaking loss. For years, Hakan has been with us, a voice for nature, all those who have suffered injustice, and all defenders of life. We will miss him dearly."

“Our greatest expectation is for the questions he left behind to be answered as soon as possible,” said Parlar, continuing:

This atmosphere of uncertainty, this darkness, must be lifted. We will continue to ask the question, "What happened to Hakan Tosun?" until we find the answer. We expect such attacks against climate activists to be prevented, security to be ensured in our cities, and impunity to be eliminated. We want a clear understanding of what happened to Hakan Tosun, who the perpetrators were, and why such a horrific assault occurred. We are deeply saddened.

“The File is Missing in Footage, Evidence, and Witnesses”

Lawyer Hakan Bozyurt, a member of the Contemporary Lawyers Association, noted the following:

Two people have been arrested as part of the case. However, the file is severely lacking in footage, evidence, and witnesses. The file is particularly lacking in footage of Hakan boarding the metrobus and returning to his family. It is crucial that anyone with this footage or who is an eyewitness contact us. We urge the entire public to do so. We must persistently ask this question: What happened to Hakan Tosun?

Footage of the Attack Shared

Footage from a security camera on the street where Hakan Tosun was attacked by two men has been shared. The footage, which appears to have been cut and not shown in its entirety, shows one of the two attackers arriving on a motorcycle and attacking Tosun as he walks along the sidewalk, while the other attacker follows him.

While the two suspects were preparing to escape on a motorcycle, a person passing by the scene in a car stopped, got out of the vehicle and headed towards where Tosun was. At this point, one of the suspects engaged in a conversation with him, and then both parties drove away from the area in their vehicles.

“Suspicious Death Must Be Clarified in All Aspects”

CHP Deputy Chairman Burhanettin Bulut issued a statement following Tosun's death, saying, "This unacceptable and vile attack was not just against a journalist, but against the truth, the free press, and the public's right to information."

The DEM Party also shared a post on its X account, saying, "Hakan Tosun was a journalist who pursued the truth and defended nature and life. Clarifying all aspects of this suspicious death is a requirement of respect for press freedom and the right to life."

Can Atalay, elected as a member of parliament for Hatay from the Turkish Workers' Party and currently imprisoned in Marmara Prison, shared a post on his social media account. He reminded the public that Tosun had reported on the suffering caused by profiteering in Hatay after the earthquake and the resistance against it. He added, "Considering Tosun's reporting, the reason for the attack he was subjected to is clear. Profiteering gangs, empowered by authoritarian policies, aim to silence dissenting voices by increasing pressure on the press."

Hakan Tosun's sister, Öznur Tosun, made a statement in front of the hospital, stating that they had not been informed that two people had been arrested in connection with the incident. She asked, "As a family, we have received no information from this investigation. No information has been sent or presented to us. We are here for Hakan Tosun, who wouldn't even hurt an ant. We have received no response whatsoever regarding this investigation. When Hakan Tosun arrived by ambulance on the street and was taken to the hospital, why weren't his family not notified for 27 hours? He is not a citizen without an ID. Why weren't his fingerprints scanned? Why weren't facial scans performed? I am also calling out the hospital administration. Perhaps you didn't take any action against my brother for 27 hours. Someone should prove this to me. Why didn't the police inform the family? He wasn't unidentified or abandoned. When I went to the police station and filed a missing person's report, why didn't anyone tell me he was in the hospital?"