Gökhan Özbek, a Turkish journalist, columnist and digital publisher known for his reporting on human rights and the plight of victims of a post-coup purge in Turkey, died on Tuesday at the age of 42 after suffering a heart attack during a medical procedure that caused a blood clot to reach his brain, the TR724 news website reported.
Özbek was undergoing an angiography at a private hospital in Ankara when he reportedly suffered cardiac arrest, with a blood clot reaching his brain during the procedure. Doctors were unable to save him despite emergency efforts, according to his colleagues.
He was widely respected for his independent journalism and for being one of the few media figures who covered the struggles of civil servants and others dismissed during a mass purge following a coup attempt in 2016.
Özbek’s work frequently focused on the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, after which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) carried out a sweeping purge of state institutions. More than 130,000 civil servants were dismissed over alleged ties to “terrorist organizations.”
Dismissed individuals were not only banned from public service but also faced significant obstacles in the private sector, along with travel bans and passport cancellations. Human rights groups have described the treatment of these people as a form of “civil death.”
The crackdown particularly targeted alleged members of the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by the late cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom the government accused of orchestrating the coup attempt, an accusation that both Gülen and his followers consistently denied. Victims of the purge also included people from various opposition backgrounds and minority groups.
Özbek used his platform to emphasize the human cost of the crackdown, including cases of torture, abduction, hate speech and other rights violations, giving voice to victims whose stories were often excluded from the mainstream Turkish media.
In recent years he became a prominent figure in digital journalism through the platform 23 Derece, which he co-founded. Özbek used the outlet, active on YouTube and other social media, to cover controversial topics that pro-government media outlets often avoided. He was detained multiple times on various charges due to his critical reporting.
Following his death, tributes poured in from colleagues and followers. Savaş Yıldırım, his close friend and co-founder at 23 Derece, wrote: “I don’t know what to say. We’ve lost my friend, my brother, Gökhan Özbek. We built 23 Derece together with so much effort and so many dreams. … Right now, it feels like I’m writing into a void,” he said on X.
Ne diyeceğimi bilmiyorum. Dostum, abim, Gökhan Özbek'i kaybettik. @yirmiucderece için çok emek verdik. Çok hayaller kurduk. Sevindik, Ağladık…
Bilmiyorum, şu an boşluğa yazıyormuşum gibi hissediyorum. Mazur görün.— Savaş YILDIRIM (@savasyildirim) June 3, 2025
Mücahit Enes Turbil, another journalist from 23 Derece, described Özbek as a “beloved boss, brother and family friend,” offering his prayers for Özbek’s soul and conveying condolences to his family, relatives and loved ones.
Acı Kaybımız‼️
Değerli patronumuz, ağabeyimiz ve aile dostumuz Gökhan Özbek, geçirdiği rahatsızlık sonucu bugün hastaneye başvurdu.
Anjiyo operasyonu sırasında meydana gelen beyin kanaması sonucu ne yazık ki hayatını kaybetti.
Kendisine Allah’tan rahmet, ailesine, yakınlarına… pic.twitter.com/Gk4mr6biUe
— Mücahit Enes Turbil (@EnesTurbil) June 3, 2025