Fifteen days have passed since journalist, filmmaker and life defender Hakan Tosun was beaten to death while on his way to visit his mother in the Mehmet Akif Ersoy neighborhood of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, yet the reasons behind his killing remain unclear. Two suspects who assaulted Tosun were arrested after giving statements at Esenyurt Mevlana Police Station, but it was revealed that a third perpetrator was questioned as a “witness” rather than a suspect and released. Speaking to ANF, Aslı Kahraman Eren, a comrade of Tosun in the ecological struggle, suggested that his murder may have been organized.
From Edirne to Kars, Hakan was always with us
Aslı Kahraman Eren, who has defended nature, land, and labor against hydroelectric projects (HES) in the Black Sea region for 25 years, had known Hakan Tosun, who documented environmental destruction, for ten years. Still in shock over his death, she said she wakes up each morning hoping it was all just a nightmare.
Eren said: “Wherever we went, from Edirne to Kars, Hakan always came with us. Hakan wasn’t just a journalist or a filmmaker; he was a defender of life, a voice for us and for all living creatures in nature. Although he was a very hardworking person, he never received the recognition he deserved as a journalist. Whenever we planned to go somewhere, we always asked if he was available and told him we were ready to support him in any way. Even if he had no money, he would still come whenever we called. He was a fair and objective journalist who made our voices heard in our cities and villages. Hakan was one of the few journalists who truly internalized the struggles we faced and helped create public awareness.”
We were planning a big rally in the Black Sea against the occupation law
Eren said Tosun had recently traveled to Kurtderesi in Samandağ and had stayed in Hatay for months after the earthquake. “We went to Hatay together as part of the Climate Justice Coalition. Hakan stayed for about four months, following developments in Samandağ and other earthquake-hit areas. The last place he went before he was killed was Samandağ. About two weeks before his death, we spoke. A week before, I went to Ikizdere. We were planning a major rally in the Black Sea region against the so-called climate omnibus ‘occupation law’ passed in parliament. We discussed organizing the rally together. Since this law licenses around 85% of land across eight provinces from Samsun to Artvin for destructive mining, we planned a big rally in Trabzon. Hakan was going to handle the visuals and make a short documentary about it. We even said, ‘Let’s buy Hakan’s ticket so he can come, stay with us a few days in Ikizdere, walk through the mountains, and visit the plateaus.’ Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it happen. We realized nothing in life is worth postponing.”
Call from Hakan Tosun’s sister
Eren recalled that when Tosun went missing, she received a call from Şükrü, the brother of Reşit Kibar, who was killed in Artvin’s Hopa district while trying to stop deforestation by the EFOR mining company. “Şükrü said, ‘Sister, I’m in Istanbul, can we have a coffee?’ We met in Kadıköy. As we spoke about our fallen friends, Metin Lokumcu, Ali Ulvi, and Aysin Büyüknohutçu, Şükrü said, ‘Sister, I’m so afraid of losing one more life in this struggle.’ Later that night, I learned that no one could reach Hakan. We didn’t sleep at all, and the next morning we launched the hashtag #HakanTosunNerede (‘WhereIsHakanTosun’) to raise awareness. Ecology groups across the country joined in. Twenty-seven hours later, we learned that Hakan had been brutally beaten and was in intensive care at Başakşehir Çam and Sakura Hospital.”
Hakan disrupted the profiteers’ game
Eren said she was devastated: “Hakan had just returned from Samandağ. When we couldn’t reach him, I first thought he was just exhausted and resting, and that he’d scold us later, saying, ‘Why did you raise such an alarm?’ But as time passed, I began to fear he’d been kidnapped by companies. Because whenever there’s violence, abduction, or murder in ecological struggles, companies are always the first suspects. That’s how it’s always been. Hakan made documentaries that hit raw nerves, that disrupted the profiteers’ schemes. He worked intensely, especially in Hatay. I thought he might have been kidnapped, but I never imagined he would be beaten to death so savagely that he would suffer brain death. I never expected to face such brutality.”
We won’t stop until his murder is fully uncovered
Eren said that Tosun confronted every act of environmental destruction with his camera: “Hakan was a man of the earth, shaped by it. He knew the value of the soil and that all living beings come from it. He knew how vital it was to protect it. He wasn’t just a journalist or a filmmaker but a defender of life. Wherever he went, he acted with this awareness. He didn’t talk much; he was introverted, living his pain and joy quietly. Hakan never insulted anyone, never attacked anyone — he just tried to do his job as best as he could. I’ll never forget in Hatay, when we were staying in a house after the earthquake. We women were in one room, Hakan in another. When an aftershock hit in the middle of the night, I ran to wake him, and he said, ‘For God’s sake, Aslı, go back to bed — we have so much to do tomorrow.’ I laughed so much then. He was such a dedicated person, focused on documenting the suffering caused by the earthquake. His was a life of devotion. We learned a lot from Hakan about how to act on the field and how to stay calm. He was a beautiful soul, in love with the land. He was a friend to the soil and to all living beings exploited by corporations, noble and genuine.”
Eren concluded by saying they believe Tosun’s murder was likely organized and vowed: “We will not stop until every aspect of this murder is uncovered. We will carry on and grow the struggle Hakan left behind.”