Covert operation against journalists in Europe

On September 22, journalist Cevheri Güven found himself on the front page of the Turkish tabloid Sabah. Not as an author. But as a subject of reporting.

"Propaganda imam continues to shoot lies and hate videos in Germany, where he fled to," was written next to a secretly taken photo that showed Güven in a bright red jacket with a shopping bag in his hand. "Sabah," the newspaper proudly announced, had taken pictures of Güven "in his cave in Babenhausen."

What the tabloid sold as investigative journalism, critics see as part of a campaign with which the media loyal to Erdogan are currently hunting down critical voices in exile. Because Güven is not the only one affected: In October, "Sabah" published secretly taken photos of Bülent Kenes, the former editor-in-chief of the now banned English-language newspaper "Today's Zaman" in a Lidl parking lot in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition, the newspaper, which with around 240,000 copies is one of the most widely circulated in the country, printed photos of his presumed place of residence.

Just a few days later the next victim: Murat Cetiner, a former police officer and current human rights activist. He too landed on the front page of Sabah, alongside a photo of his home near Stockholm and his car. In addition, the headline: "Mastermind of the conspiracy is in Sweden." A few weeks after the publication, Cetiner tweeted another picture of his car: someone had smashed a side window.

The "Sabah" acted similarly with the journalists Levent Kenez and Abdullah Bozkurt. Both had also found refuge in Stockholm in recent years. In the case of Kenez, Sabah published his presumed home address. In addition to a photo taken in secret, the newspaper accused Bozkurt - contrary to all known facts - of being partly responsible for the assassination of the Russian ambassador Andrei Gennadyevich Karlov in Ankara in December 2016.

Those affected agree that the Turkish government counts them among the masterminds of the Gülen movement - and thus holds them jointly responsible for the attempted coup in 2016. Out of exile, Bozkurt and Güven are among the loudest critics of the Erdogan government. Güven, who lives in Hesse, runs a successful YouTube channel. In his videos, which sometimes reach more than a million hits, he also talks about alleged cases of corruption surrounding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

For Güven it is clear that the editors of "Sabah" are not the only ones behind the apparently meticulously planned spying campaigns. "I think the Turkish secret service gave my address to the journalists. I even believe that the Turkish secret service took the photos of me," he told WELT. "They must have followed me, photographed me and passed the photo on to 'Sabah'." Last year he received indications that the Turkish Ministry of the Interior was trying to find out his address.

Abdullah Bozkurt, who lives in Sweden, also assumes an operation by Turkish agents. "The secret service today released surveillance photos of my house and I in Sweden to the regime's mouthpiece, the 'Sabah'. I will not be silenced," he wrote on Twitter after posting his photo.

In Germany, the procedure also concerns politicians. On request, the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced that the authority was aware of the Güven case. Threats and investigations by opposition journalists or journalists critical of the regime should not be tolerated in Germany. The security of opposition members living in Germany is of particular importance. In dangerous situations, the federal security authorities "followed every tip with vigour."

According to the Ministry of the Interior, it has no information on the possible involvement of the Turkish secret service MIT in the campaign against Güven. Basically, however, it should be noted that "Turkish intelligence services and security authorities keep an eye on all associations and individuals who are in actual or suspected opposition to the Turkish government". The "Sabah" left a request from WELT unanswered.

Güven sees the situation as threatening. Even before the Sabah article, his security situation was tense. "But publishing my address means handing me over to the fanatics." As a journalist, he regularly reports on Turkish mafia groups and their connections to the government in Ankara. Now he has become the target of these groups.

The German police are aware of the seriousness of the situation, Güven believes. There are wide-ranging investigations into the spying on his home address. "They protect me as best they can," says the journalist. He will continue his work. Because the Turkish government has already destroyed the independent press in the country. Erdogan is now concerned with silencing journalists abroad - above all because elections are due in Turkey next year.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) traveled to the capital Ankara on Monday for talks with her Turkish counterpart Süleyman Soylu. There it should go to the German-Turkish cooperation in the fight against terrorism. It is unclear whether the activities of the Turkish secret service in Europe will also be discussed.