ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – A Turkish journalist, who is critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan´s government and has been living in exile in Germany, was injured after being attacked outside his home by three men who reportedly warned him to stop writing.
Erk Acarer, a columnist for Turkey´s independent Birgun newspaper, said in a video posted on Twitter that the attack occurred late Wednesday in the courtyard of his home outside Berlin. He sustained some swelling on his head and was kept at a hospital for several hours for observation.
Berlin police confirmed the assault, saying Acarer was attacked by several people on Wednesday evening in the Rudow district.
In a video posted on Twitter, Acarer said that one of his attackers warned him in Turkish: “You will not write.”
Earlier, the journalist posted a photograph of himself, saying he was attacked “with fists and knives.”
“I know the attackers. I will never surrender to fascism,” Acarer wrote.
Acarer was among a group of journalists who were prosecuted for reporting on the funeral of a Turkish intelligence officer who was killed in Libya and was quietly buried. Five of the journalists were convicted for violating Turkey´s intelligence laws and of disclosing secret information. The case against Acarer is continuing.
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