The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday condemned an alleged attack on a journalist working for CNN’s Turkish affiliate, which is criticized for acting as a mouthpiece for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government, outside the Pennsylvania residence of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, Erdoğan’s arch-enemy who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999.
President Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government pursued a crackdown on the faith-based movement inspired by Gülen following corruption operations in December 2013 in which the inner circle of the government and then-prime minister Erdoğan were implicated.
Erdoğan also accuses Gülen of masterminding a failed coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016.
Despite Gülen and the movement strongly denying involvement in the abortive putsch, Erdoğan launched a witch-hunt targeting the movement in its aftermath.
Yunus Paksoy, CNN Türk’s US representative, was filming a live broadcast near the Chestnut Retreat Center, a non-profit organization that also serves as Gülen’s residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. In the video of the live broadcast, a man driving a dark SUV is seen approaching and confronting Paksoy.
Paksoy is then seen telling the driver to leave before the man exits the vehicle and appears to take a swing at the journalist, abruptly ending the broadcast.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry and Fahrettin Altun, communications director for President Erdoğan, quickly condemned the incident. In a statement on social media Altun emphasized Turkey’s commitment to pursuing the matter with US authorities to ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.
Paksoy, in his own statement, confirmed he had provided a statement to Pennsylvania state police and shared evidence related to the incident.
The Chestnut Retreat Center has issued a statement online saying there was an altercation between a visitor and the CNN Türk reporter.
The statement said the confrontation began when Paksoy, who was filming near the center, parked his vehicle near the center’s mailbox without permission and was warned by a visitor to stay away from the mailbox area. The visitor’s attempts to keep Paksoy away from the mailbox escalated into a physical altercation.
In the video of Paksoy’s broadcast, it can be seen that a mailbox was open before the physical contact occurred.
Mailbox vandalism is a federal crime in the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 1705.
The Chestnut Retreat Center clarified that the incident developed quickly, so the staff was unable to intervene in time. They urged journalists to respect private property, including the mailbox, and to obtain prior permission or make appointments before visiting the center.
In addition, the center stated that the matter had been reported to local and state police and assured their full cooperation in the investigation. They emphasized that they remain committed to providing media access while ensuring that the privacy and security of their guests and property are maintained. The center expressed regret for the incident and reiterated its support for journalistic practices that respect private property and personal boundaries.
Despite Turkey’s repeated demands for Gülen’s extradition, US authorities have not found sufficient evidence to proceed.
US media reported in 2017 that Gülen was part of a potential bargain between former President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and top Turkish officials.
An alleged plan that involved Flynn forcibly removing Gülen in return for millions of dollars was investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 10, 2017.
Turkey’s pro-government journalists often engage in activities targeting dissidents and critics of Erdoğan’s government abroad. These journalists have been known to track and harass exiled dissidents, sometimes revealing their locations and private information publicly. For instance, in 2022 Sabah, a pro-government daily, published a series of articles exposing the whereabouts of Turkish dissidents in Europe, leading to increased threats and attacks against these individuals.
Critics argue that the Turkish government uses pro-government media as tools for surveillance and intimidation of opponents. This strategy has been part of a broader crackdown on dissent following the failed coup, resulting in the imprisonment of thousands of alleged Gülen movement members and the closure of numerous media outlets.
Rights groups consistently accuse Erdoğan’s government of undermining press freedom, with Turkey ranking 158th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index. The government’s actions have included jailing journalists, closing independent media and pressuring news outlets to adopt a pro-government stance.
Turkish government’s persecution of journalists extends beyond its borders, affecting even journalists who had to flee the country such as Abdülhamit Bilici, Abdullah Bozkurt, Adem Yavuz Arslan, Bülent Keneş, Can Dündar, Cevheri Güven, Erk Acarer, Levent Kenez and Said Sefa, who, despite finding refuge in democratic countries, still face orchestrated threats and attacks from Turkish authorities.
Keneş, who lives in exile in Sweden, was even used as a bargaining chip by the Turkish government, which demanded his extradition from Sweden in return for Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership.
Bilici, the former editor-in-chief of the now-closed Zaman daily, pointed out on X the irony that a regime that oppresses and imprisons journalists, confiscates media and suppresses press freedom is trying to teach others about media rights and democracy. Condemning any physical intervention against journalists, Bilici emphasized that it is proper protocol to report illegal acts, such as tampering with mailboxes, to the authorities and follow legal procedures.