Fahrettin Altun
Fahrettin Altun | |
|---|---|
 Fahrettin Altun in 2021 | |
| Presidential Spokesperson - President of the Directorate of Communications | |
| Assumed office 25 July 2018 | |
| President | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 September 1976 Stuttgart, Germany |
| Spouse | Fatmanur Altun |
| Alma mater | Istanbul University |
| Website | iletisim |
Fahrettin Altun (born 11 September 1976, Stuttgart, Germany) is a Тurkish politician, researcher, academic, member of the Justice and Development Party and head of media and communications in the Turkish presidency.[1]
Education and early life
Altun studied Istanbul University Department of Sociology, graduating in 1998. He then studied at Mimar Sinan University and received his PhD from Istanbul University in 2006. His doctoral thesis was titled “A Comparative Analysis of Media Theories of McLuhan and Baudrillard”. Besides he has been involved in the Turkish government think tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA).[2]
Professional career
He was Head of the Department of Communication at Istanbul Şehir University from 2008 to 2014 and was then a faculty member at Istanbul Medeniyet University from 2015 to 2017. Altun was chief editor of the magazine Kriter, and appeared as a commentator on TRT, a state owned television channel. He has written for Sabah, Daily Sabah and Akşam, and worked as an editor for Yöneliş and Küre publishing houses.[3]
Political career
Altun has risen to prominence within the Тurkish government quickly since leaving academia. According to Ahval, "Erdoğan frequently chooses Altun over his own spokesman Ibrahim Kalın to make critical statements and manage his social media output, the former academic is seen as the top man in the Presidency."[1] He is seen as being close to former Economy minister and Erdogan's son in law Berat Albayrak and his family.
Altun strongly criticized French President Emmanuel Macron over his remarks on 'separatist Islam', following terrorist attacks in France. Altun said the remarks were "yet another example of a desperate European politician vying for relevance".[4] Altun also said that European attitudes towards Muslims were reminiscent of the "demonization of the European Jewry in the 1920s."[5][3] Following a raid on the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) office in Esenyurt, he equated the HDP with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[6] On August 2, 2024, Turkey blocked access to Instagram, following comments from Turkish communications director Fahrettin Altun who condemned Meta Platforms for removing Instagram posts offering condolences or expressing sadness following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Prof. Fahrettin ALTUN, Biography". Directorate of Communications, Turkey. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ Topcu, Elmas (14 November 2019). "Erdogan's AKP basks in glow of think tank financed by influential family, DW finds | DW | 14.11". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ a b Tamma, Paola (25 October 2020). "EU officials hit out at Ankara after Erdoğan attacks Macron". Politico Europe. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ Anadolu Agency (27 October 2020). "Macron's anti-Islam remarks pose threat to Europe, Turkey's communications director says". Daily Sabah.
- ^ TOI staff (25 October 2020). "Turkey says Muslims in Europe being demonized, like Jews in 1920s". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ "Turkish Interior Minister shares footage from HDP building in Istanbul's Esenyurt following raid". Gazete Duvar. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ "Turkey blocks access to Instagram platform but gives no reason". Reuters. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
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