Cevheri Güven

Cevheri Güven is a Turkish investigative journalist and writer. Güven, the former editor-in-chief of Nokta magazine, is an exiled journalist who immigrated due to increasing pressure in Turkey after July 15, 2016. He is known for his exposés on corruption, organized crime groups, and their ties within the state, published on his own YouTube channel and other digital platforms. Currently residing in Germany, Güven has become a target of the Erdoğan government due to his journalistic work in exile, and is facing terrorism charges due to alleged links to the Gülen movement. He was sentenced to 22 years and 6 months in prison in the Nokta magazine case. He has also been subject to lawsuits seeking hundreds of years in prison due to his reporting abroad in recent years.

Career Beginnings and early years in journalism After graduating from the Department of Journalism at Gazi University’s Faculty of Communication, Cevheri Güven began his journalism career in 1999 at the Ankara bureau of Star newspaper. In his early years, he worked as a photojournalist and education reporter before later transitioning to police reporting. His work primarily focused on security and crime-related issues within the Ministry of Interior.

In 2004, he served as the first editor-in-chief of the online news portal "Aktifhaber.com." In 2007, he became the correspondent for "Nokta" magazine in Ankara. The magazine soon ceased publication due to political and military pressure. As a result of this operation, three ministers from Erdogan's government resigned. In the corruption investigation, the names of Erdoğan's family members and the minister's children were mentioned. It was also reported that $4.5 million in cash was found at the home of Halkbank general manager Süleyman Aslan.

Then-Prime Minister Erdoğan described this operation as "a coup attempt orchestrated both domestically and internationally" and described the investigation as a conspiracy orchestrated by judicial and police officials allegedly affiliated with the Gülen Movement. Hundreds of prosecutors and police officers were dismissed in the process, and a large part of the investigation team was replaced.

Numerous journalists and media workers who labeled the incidents as corruption were dismissed from their posts as a result of pressure from the Erdoğan government. During this period, Cevheri Güven was working as News Director at the "Star" newspaper in Ankara He was dismissed in the first days of 2014.

The Nokta Magazine era and legal process

On May 1, 2015, Nokta magazine resumed publication under the editor-in-chief of Cevheri Güven. The magazine, which adopted a critical publishing approach to government policies, quickly came under intense pressure from the Erdoğan government. Three issues of the magazine were seized in succession, and investigations were launched.

Following the November 1, 2015 general elections, "Nokta" magazine published an article with the headline "The Beginning of the Civil War in Turkey" showing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan taking selfies with the funerals of martyrs. The article "revealed the Erdoğan government's corruption and the renewed conflict created by the collapse of the peace process with the Kurds." On November 2, 2015, Güven and his editor-in-chief were detained on charges of "inciting the public to armed rebellion against the government" because of the issue's critical cover.

By a decision of the Istanbul 8th Criminal Court of Peace, Güven was arrested and sent to Silivri Prison. In the same decision, the relevant issue of Nokta magazine was seized, and access to the magazine’s website was blocked. Güven was in the same prison with well-known journalists such as Can Dündar and Erdem Gül during their detention, He was held in solitary cells in Silivri Prison; They were forbidden from meeting with each other or other detainees and were prevented from participating in any social gatherings. The government's pressure on opposition media increased during the state of emergency declared after July 15, 2016. With the Statutory Decree dated July 27, 2016, "Nokta" magazine became one of the 130 magazines closed; All assets and trademark rights of the magazine were seized. Güven did not attend the hearing because he was in exile in Greece at the time of the sentence. The court also decided to seize back issues of Nokta magazine. serious human rights violations and the publicization of images of torture in prisons Cevheri Güven, for whom a new arrest warrant was issued by the court, stated that he was forced to leave Turkey with his wife and two children on a refugee boat via the Meriç River, which forms part of the border between Turkey and Greece. In subsequent statements, Güven said that there was no hope for a fair trial and that justice did not function in Turkey. He also stated that even if a person is acquitted, they may be subjected to a new investigation before being released, and that he therefore had no choice but to leave the country. The "assassination list" claim in question has also been confirmed by German police authorities. Under security threat, Güven sought asylum with her family in Germany in 2017 and was granted refugee status. Güven has been living in Germany since 2017. and the international journalists association run under the umbrella of the IJA He participated in solidarity activities.

He also wrote columns for English-language diaspora news sites such as Turkish Minute and hosted programs on the online platform Bold Medya. In addition, a print magazine called "Journalist Post" has begun publication.

Güven also covers politics, intelligence, and organized crime in Turkey through his investigative journalism publications on YouTube. While these publications were considered important in terms of criticism of the government by some circles, they also caused debates in various media circles.

In September 2022, the newspaper "Sabah" published a headline directly targeting Güven. Secretly taken photos of Güven walking on the street in Germany with a plastic bag in his hand were printed on the front page of the newspaper and his full address was disclosed; thus, Güven became a target in front of the public. Following Güven's complaint, three employees of the Sabah newspaper were detained by German authorities in May 2023 for harassing Turkish exile journalists, including Güven, and disclosing their personal data without permission. They were questioned on charges of "dangerously disseminating personal data" as part of the investigation. Following these incidents, Güven's name was also on the "death lists" allegedly prepared by Turkish intelligence units to target dissidents abroad, and he was placed under 24-hour protection by the German police.

In October 2024, approximately 400 journalists, activists, and media organizations, including Güven's account, had their accounts blocked or suspended in Turkey. It has been reported that most of these accounts were closed due to their posts criticizing the government and that the decision was taken on the grounds of "national security." Similarly, it is alleged that Güven's content is also being censored on YouTube. At a panel held in Geneva in March 2025, an example was shared of how more than 250 videos on Güven's channel were blocked in a single day, erasing years of journalistic work from the digital environment.

Works Newspapers and magazines 1999–2004: Star newspaper (Ankara bureau) 2004–2007: Aktifhaber.com (founding editor) 2007–2009: Nokta magazine (Ankara correspondent) 2009–2014: Star newspaper (Ankara news editor) 2015–2016: Nokta magazine (Editor-in-chief) 2020–present: The Journalist Post (Contributor, columnist)

International collaborations and appearances Participant in Turkey Tribunal hearings as a witness (2021) * Interview with Euronews Greece about exile and press freedom in Europe (2022) Featured in the documentary Ben Hücredeyken ("While I Was in the Cell"), recounting his imprisonment and experiences in Turkey (2023)

Books Bal Tuzağı (The Honey Trap)