Going to the Çamlık neighborhood in İzmir’s Selçuk district on December 13, 2022 to cover the municipality’s alleged continuation of the construction of unlicensed buildings despite the instruction of the İzmir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, the journalists were subjected to battery and threats. 

While Figen Avcıoğlu from Büyük İzmir TV was saying, “Though the Ministry did not give a permission or zone the area for construction and though a permission was given for a single villa…” a person jumped off the fence and snatched the microphone from Avcıoğlu’s hand. Pulling her hair and throwing her on the ground, the person damaged the camera, too. 

The person then told journalists, “Who gave you permission to film here? There is a law called the Law on Protection of Personal Data. Is this your father’s estate or something like that? Get out of here.” Following the row, the person threatened journalists by saying “I am gonna go and fetch my rifle.”

The journalists went to the District Gendarmerie Command afterwards and filed a criminal complaint against the person (December 13).