Editor-in-chief of Turkish daily Yeni Akit stabbed to death by son-in-law in family row

ISTANBUL

The editor-in-chief of daily Yeni Akit was stabbed to death by his son-in-law in Istanbul late on May 29 during what is reported to have been an apparent row between the family members.

Kadir Demirel, 56, reportedly went to his daughter Esma Karanfil’s residence in the Başakşehir district to reconcile her with his son-in-law Cemil Yavuz Karanfil after receiving a phone call at around 5.30 p.m.

Esma Karanfil, 31, reportedly witnessed incompatibility of temperament and occasional domestic violence from her husband as legal proceedings had already been launched.

Karanfil phoned her father for help, but the quarrel between the family members grew as Karanfil subsequently stabbed Demirel on his ventral cavity. 

He also stabbed his wife, who tried to intervene in the fight three times, before eventually fleeing the scene.

Medical teams were immediately dispatched to the scene but the editor-in-chief succumbed to his wounds at the scene.

Demirel’s daughter was also taken to a hospital in the Bağcılar district and taken to surgery after suffering heavy wounds.

Police have been trying to apprehend Karanfil, but Doğan News Agency has reported that Karanfil later surrendered to police.

Demirel’s body was transferred to the forensics institute for autopsy while authorities launched a wide-scale investigation into the murder.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also called Demirel’s son Fatih Demirel to extend his condolences.

Born in 1961 in the Central Anatolian province of Niğde, Demirel graduated from the faculty of theology of Marmara University. He had worked for Milli Gazete for more than five years and later worked for Sabah daily. He also acted as the editor-in-chief of Moscow Zaman in 1998.

Demirel left daily Zaman in 2000 and had been the news coordinator for Yeni Şafak for more than five years and acted as the regional news manager for another eight years. He left the daily in 2014 and began to work as the news editor and the board member of Yeni Akit.

He had been the editor-in-chief of the daily since March 2016.