Turkish dissident columnist attacked by unknown assailants
The assault on the vocal dissident comes at a time of tightened grip on artists, singers, and dramatists.
Guvenc Dagustun, an opera singer, was on his way home after a huge Aug. 30 concert marking Victory Day when he was assaulted by two men.
“They hit me and kicked me to the ground,” tweeted Dagustun, who also writes a sardonic column at left-wing daily Birgun. He posted photos that showed his black eye and the bruises on his arm.
Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), condemned the attack. “The assailants must be caught and it must be found out whether it was done by those fostering systematic attacks against the press,” RSF tweeted.
“Two people who were running away after the attack have been detained by the police but they deny carrying out the attack,” Dagustun’s attorney Serkal Guven told Al-Monitor. “We think that this may be a political attack. He is a vocal dissident figure and might have outraged different groups.”
