Akşam newspaper columnist Emin Pazarcı leaves the paper: A journalist's position is their pen, not their seat

Begüm Ece Pazarcı, the lawyer daughter of Emin Pazarcı, the Ankara Representative of Akşam newspaper—known for its proximity to the government—shared a video on her social media account while traveling to a Galatasaray match in a vehicle equipped with a siren.

Following the rapid spread of the footage, many users on social media raised the question, “Why was this vehicle granted the right to use a siren?”

After the backlash, Begüm Ece Pazarcı deleted the post, while her father, Emin Pazarcı, stated that the vehicle belonged to him.

Pazarcı used the following expressions in a post on his social media account:

“You scum... Are you looking for a vehicle with a siren? It's not my daughter's, it's mine. But I haven't used it even once. If anyone can prove otherwise, I'll face the consequences! Why do I have it? Because of lowlifes like you! I was on the death lists of terrorist organizations. They put me on their magazine covers and targeted me. I have been subjected to armed attacks many times in the past. It is there as a precaution. Shouldn't it be? Should the stones be tied down while the dogs roam free?”

Police had launched an investigation

The Istanbul Police Department announced in a statement regarding the matter that an investigation had been launched into the vehicle seen in the footage. The statement noted, “Within the framework of the Protection Services Regulation, there is no protection order or right of way granted to the individual who is the subject of the footage.” It was stated that an administrative fine of 173 thousand 392 TL was imposed on the vehicle owner, the vehicle was banned from traffic for 30 days, and the driver's license was suspended for 30 days.

He had been placed on mandatory leave

Former AKP MKYK member Şamil Tayyar announced on his social media account that Pazarcı had been placed on mandatory leave for three months due to the posts in question.

Following his mandatory leave, Pazarcı announced that he had left his post. Stating, “We shook hands with our friends,” Pazarcı said in his post:

“I have reached an agreement with Akşam newspaper and parted ways after shaking hands with my friends in Ankara. I wish Yusuf Alabarda, who has been appointed as the Ankara Representative, success in his new role. I thank everyone who conveyed their kind wishes here. My journalist friend Osman Diyadin put an end to it by saying, 'A journalist's position is their pen, not their seat.' I am a journalist! My pen is in my hand!”