Can Dündar
A Turkish editor whose publication of state secrets sparked a treason charge, making him a global symbol of press freedom under authoritarian pressure.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian·Birthday: June 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Can Dündar's career as a journalist in Turkey has been a high-wire act of principle and peril. As editor-in-chief of the historic Cumhuriyet newspaper, he operated from a belief that a newspaper's duty is to print what the powerful wish to hide. That conviction culminated in 2015 when Cumhuriyet published video evidence suggesting Turkish intelligence was smuggling arms to Syrian rebels, a story that directly challenged the government's official narrative. The state's response was swift and severe: Dündar was arrested, charged with espionage and aiding a terrorist organization, and faced a potential life sentence. An assassination attempt outside the courthouse during his trial only underscored the dangers he faced. Though a court eventually acquitted him of some charges, the legal persecution forced him into exile in Germany, where he continues to write and broadcast critically about Turkish politics. His story is not just one of investigative scoop, but of the personal cost borne by journalists who hold a mirror to authority in an increasingly hostile climate.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Can was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Can Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Can's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- As editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, oversaw the 2015 publication of footage implicating Turkish intelligence in arms shipments to Syria.
- Founded the independent online news platform Özgürüz after going into exile.
- Authored numerous books on Turkish politics and history and directed several documentaries.
- Won the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists in 2016.
Did You Know?
He studied journalism at Ankara University and later earned a PhD in political science.
Before his journalism career, he was a television presenter for state broadcaster TRT.
He was a guest columnist for The Washington Post while in exile.
He survived a point-blank gunshot attempt outside an Istanbul courthouse in 2016.
“We are not afraid. We are journalists.”
