Hayko Bağdat

Bağdat is a Turkish-Armenian columnist who has been targeted in the past for his articles criticizing the government. In 2019 he was indicted for a 2017 column on Erdoğan. He was tried for several charges including “terrorism” and given a suspended sentence of 1 year, 2 months and 17 days in prison in July 2024 for “insulting the president.” He has also been placed on a hit list targeting Turkish dissidents abroad, prompting German police to issue him a security warning. He now lives in exile in Berlin.