A senior member of the Turkish Cypriot ruling coalition's largest party has said it is "not hard to guess" who is responsible for the wave of coordinated bot attacks that have targeted journalists and news outlets across northern Cyprus.
Izlem Gurcag Altugra, a member of parliament from the National Unity Party (UBP), made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on Kibris Postasi TV, pointing to what she described as "troll armies" that have been harassing both media professionals and ordinary citizens online.
"Not only the press, but also ordinary people have been insulted by these troll armies which have suddenly appeared. Everyone can guess who is doing it. The most important thing is to prove and document this. If the state has seriousness and power, it must immediately find out who is responsible for this petulance."
Widespread media disruption
The attacks have involved bots flooding social media accounts with bogus copyright infringement claims, causing content to be removed from the platforms. Among those affected are the Cyprus Mail, newspaper Yeniduzen, and news websites Kibris Postasi, Haber Kibris, Kibris Genc TV, Bugun Kibris, and My Kibris Haber. Political chat show host Mustafa Alkan and social media journalist Serdinc Maypa also had posts deleted.
Yeniduzen reported that the targeted content included posts using keywords such as "Juju" — the nickname of Turkish Cypriot 'prime minister' Unal Ustel's longtime close personal associate Fatma Unal — as well as terms such as "cyber-attack" and words connected to the ongoing strikes and protests taking place in the north.
The pattern of targeting has led many observers to draw a connection between the attacks and Ustel and Unal. However, Fatma Unal denied any involvement, telling Bugun Kibris: "I have not made such an attempt, and I have not used any intermediaries."
Altugra's break with Ustel
Although Altugra remains formally within the UBP, she has become one of its most outspoken internal critics. After the party's endorsed candidate, Ersin Tatar, suffered a heavy defeat at last year's Turkish Cypriot leadership election, she publicly refused an invitation from Ustel to rejoin his cabinet and effectively began boycotting Monday plenary sessions at the Turkish Cypriot legislature.
Speculation has grown that she may leave the party entirely, with reports suggesting she is considering joining the centrist, anti-corruption HP party led by former Turkish Cypriot chief negotiator Kudret Ozersay. Asked about her political future on Thursday, Altugra was carefully worded but pointed.
"I will continue my political life in a political environment where service to the public is delivered. I will also implement my stance and share it with the public."
She acknowledged that sitting legislators are barred from joining existing parties while holding their seats, but renewed her criticism of the party's direction under Ustel's leadership.
"I cannot be in a place where the mentality is, 'he's my man, legal or not, let us do whatever we can'. The UBP I know is not the same UBP. It has mutated. I feel very sorry for our ancestors, for those who founded this party, including my father."
Her father, Erdinc Gurcag, is a notable figure in Turkish Cypriot history, having fought in the 1964 Battle of Tillyria and later served two terms as mayor of Kyrenia, between 1986 and 1989 and again from 1998 to 2002.
It remains unclear whether formal investigations into the bot attacks will be launched, and no arrests or official attributions have been announced by authorities.
