Halk TV reporter attacked during live earthquake coverage

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A reporter for Halk TV was threatened today (February 23) by a person with a hammer in his hand during a live broadcast from the earthquake-hit Malatya province.

The man was seen saying, "The state is everywhere. You are lying," apparently defending the government against criticism of the insufficient response to the February 6 earthquakes.

Ayşenur Aslan, the host of the program, said, "They want Halk TV to go silent. They want Halk TV reporters not to talk."

"He threatened to kill us"

Ferit Demir, the reporter, said later that he was about to read out the statement of the governor's office that 20,000 people were staying in tents and food was distributed in 45 locations in the city.

"Just then, a citizen passing by in a pickup truck pulled down his window and started shouting, 'You are lying, the state is here.'

"He came towards us with a hammer. He threatened, 'I will kill you all' Two citizens passing by said, 'He is telling the truth.' He threatened them and said, 'I'll kill you too.'

"Then two police officers came. We said we would file a complaint, but no action was taken. 'I can't initiate proceedings because he didn't hit you. Maybe he had a problem, he was nervous."

Demir was also attacked by the police while he was following rescue efforts in Malatya on February 10.

Halk TV is an outlet known for its critical stance towards the government, and one of the TV outlets being penalized the most by the country's media authority over its broadcasts.

The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) yesterday imposed two separate penalties on the broadcaster because of its coverage of the earthquakes.

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş.

The quakes caused destruction in 11 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts.

The official death toll from the quakes stands at over 42,000 and is expected to increase further, as over 160,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. (HA/VK)