Turkish ultranationalist militant organization threatens HDP member with death

The Turkish Revenge Brigade (TİT), a militant Turkish ultranationalist organization, has threatened pro-Kurdish HDP member Güngör with death. In a text message sent to Güngör, the TİT said “If you don’t watch your step, your carcass will be found in an alley.” After the messages, someone in a car fired gunshots in the air while passing the bookstore Güngör runs.

Thursday August 31 2023 02:46 pm

Duvar English

The Turkish Revenge Brigade (TİT), a militant Turkish ultranationalist organization known for political assassinations and murders, has threatened pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) member Erkan Güngör with death.

Güngör, who runs a bookstore selling Kurdish books in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district, first received a text message from the TİT that read “We are warning with this message for the last time to bloodless dishonest people like you who are HDP/PKK (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party) terrorists,” Canan Coşkun from online news outlet Diken reported on Aug. 31.

A few days after this message, Güngör received more messages that read: “It seems that you are not heeding our warnings. We are honorable Turkish nationalists, we know very well how to act when the time comes. Watch your steps. If you don't, your carcass will be found in an alley. God bless Turkey. The Turkish Revenge Brigade will do what is necessary.”

After these messages, someone in a car fired gunshots in the air while passing the bookstore Güngör runs. Güngör filed a criminal complaint with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office after the incident, demanding the identification of those who threatened him with death and the suspects be punished for “insulting” and “death threat.”

The TİT previously threatened public figures like lawyer Eren Keskin, political expert Prof. Baskın Oran, Kurdish folk singer Ferhat Tunç, former HDP MP Osman Baydemir, and the journalists of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, the daily Evrensel, and soL online news outlet with death.