Adem Yavuz Arslan

Adem Yavuz Arslan (born 1974, Silifke) is a Turkish investigative journalist, writer and television programmer. He is known for his work on the Hrant Dink murder case, deep state operations in Turkey, and his critical reporting on the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Following the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, Arslan faced prosecution and sought exile in the United States, where he continues his journalistic work.^[1]

Adem Yavuz Arslan was born in 1974 in the Silifke district of Mersin. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Silifke. He received his undergraduate degree from the Faculty of Communication at Ege University and his master's degree in international relations.

Arslan started his journalism career in 1995 as a police-court reporter in İzmir. He moved to Istanbul in 1998 and worked in Aksiyon which is a unit of the Zaman Media Group. During this period, he worked as a investigative reporter on different news projects.

Arslan covered the Second Gulf War from Northern Iraq and Baghdad in 2003. He reported from Pakistan, documenting the activities of Turkish schools and medical missions in Afghan refugee camps.^[2] He reported from conflict zones such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.^[1]

In 2011, Arslan published "An Armenian: The Hrant Dink Operation Codes", a book investigating the 2007 assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The book revealed new information about the murder, including the proximity of a non-commissioned officer to the triggerman on the day of the killing.^[3] Following the book's publication, Arslan received repeated death threats, including a parcel sent to his office containing Kalashnikov bullets and a white beret.^[3]

Adem Yavuz Arslan conducted significant reporting on the international Reza Zarrab scandal, a major scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran that involved high-level Turkish government officials and the state-owned Halkbank.^[4]

In his 2024 investigation for Politurco, Arslan revealed that Reza Zarrab was living under the new identity of "Aaron Goldsmith" in Florida and building a luxury yacht, despite being a key figure in a sanctions evasion case involving billions of dollars.^[4] This reporting came years after Zarrab's cooperation with U.S. authorities in the trial of Halkbank executive Mehmet Hakan Atilla.

Arslan's work on the Zarrab case was part of his broader investigative focus on corruption involving the Turkish government.^[3]

Arslan conducted extensive investigative reporting on the events surrounding the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt. His analyses focused on inconsistencies in the official narrative, intelligence activities preceding the coup night, and the role of state institutions. Through his reporting, Arslan argued that several critical details related to the timeline, military deployments, and early intelligence warnings were obscured or misrepresented by Turkish authorities.^[5]

Arslan was among the journalists targeted by the Turkish government following the 2016 coup attempt. His reporting on this sensitive subject contributed to his facing legal pressure and eventual exile from Turkey.^[1] His passport was revoked, and an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued at Turkey's request.^[1] He is being tried in absentia with prosecutors seeking a life sentence based on his books and articles.^[1]

Turkey ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, categorized as having "very serious" media freedom violations.^[6] Over 90% of Turkish media is under government control,^[7] with critical journalists facing prosecution, censorship, and exile.

Based in Washington D.C., Arslan continues his journalistic work through digital platforms. He publishes analytical articles on Turkish politics for outlets including Turkish Minute, Politurco.com and TR724. He produces content for his YouTube channel and maintains an active presence on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), reaching hundreds of thousands of followers.^[1]

Arslan won the Metin Göktepe Journalism Award in 2000 for his investigation "Beware, They Are Stealing Our DNA!" revealing the gendarmerie's secret DNA bank.^[8]

• An Armenian - (Bi Ermeni Var) (2011) – Investigation into the Hrant Dink assassination^[9]
• Ergenekon summit: How minorities became targets, from Dink to Malatya (2012) – Examination of attacks on minorities in Turkey^[10]
• A Murder by State – Analysis of missionary activities, provocations and intelligence-mafia relations^[11]
• Collapse of Turkey - (Çöküş) – Research on the July 15, 2016 coup attempt^[5]

• Press freedom in Turkey
• Hrant Dink
• Journalism in Turkey