Journalist Can Dundar included in Turkish ministry's "grey list"

Turkish Interior Ministry included self-exiled journalist Can Dundar in its "grey list" of wanted persons.

The ministry provides a reward of up to 500,000 TL (approximately $26,600) for those who contribute to the capture of the persons listed in the grey list.

Under Dundar's photo in the ministry's web page it read, "FETO/PDY Terror Organization."

"FETO" is the abbreviation used by Turkish authorities to refer to the Gulen movement, which has been labeled as "Fetullahist Terror Organization" after the movement came into conflict with its long time ally, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). "PDY" is another official label, an abbreviation for "Paralel Devlet Yapilanmasi," which means "Parallel State Structure" in English, an implication that Gulen movement was organized within the state structure during its alliance with AKP without the knowledge of the government.

Dundar commented on Twitter, saying:

"This is better than being included in 'the list of journalists on Erdogan's jet.' This is the address that everyone opposing [him] will sooner or later arrive at."

Background

Dundar was sentenced to a prison term of 27 years and his property was confiscated by a court ruling in December 2020 over charges of "political and military espionage," and "aiding a terrorist organization," because of a news report on the role of Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) in supplying weapons to armed factions in Syria during the Syrian Civil War.

On 29 May 2015, independent daily Cumhuriyet had published footage of a search, conducted by Turkish troops on a number of lorries on 19 January 2015, confirming that the lorries were in fact carrying weapons. The report was presented under the headline, "Here are the weapons Erdogan denied," and a criminal investigation was subsequently launched into the report.

On 2 June 2015 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan filed criminal charges against Can Dundar, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet. Dundar and Cumhuriyet's Ankara representative Erdem Gul were arrested on 26 November 2015, and after three months in custody they were released on 26 February 2016 when the Constitutional Court decided that their detention constituted "unjust deprivation of freedom."

On 6 May 2016, Dundar was sentenced to a prison term of 5 years and 10 months for "leaking classified information." He subsequently fled to Germany in June 2016 to avoid imprisonment.

On 23 December 2020, he was sentenced in absentia to 27 years and 6 months in prison for espionage and aiding a terrorist organization.

Dundar is currently a political refugee living in Germany.