MORE DETENTIONS AND ARRESTS IN ERGENEKON CASE
Erol Onderoðlu
BIA
March 24 2008
Turkey
After 37 people were arrested in the Ergenekon case in January, there
was a new wave of police detentions on Friday. Journalist Selcuk,
former university rector Alemdaroglu, and party leader Perincek were
among those taken into custody.
On Friday morning (21 March) at 4 am, more people were taken into
police custody in relation to the Ergenekon case. There are said to be
12 people involved, among them Dogu Perincek, chair of the Workers’
Party, Ilhan Selcuk, columnist at the Cumhuriyet newspaper, as well
as Kemal Alemdaroglu, former rector of Istanbul University.
Ergenekon gang
There have been 37 previous arrests in the investigation into the
ultranationalist Ergenekon gang, which is said to have planned a coup
d’etat for the following year. There are also suggestions that the gang
was involved in the attack on the State Council in 2006, and perhaps
also the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.
Furthermore, some of those arrested previously are linked to the
Susurluk scandal which rocked Turkey in 1996, when a car accident
revealed connections between police, mafia and politicians. Ever since,
Turks have been aware of the so-called "deep state", which rules the
country behind the screen of a democratically elected government.
The first evidence of a criminal organisation came in July 2007,
when a weapons arsenal was found in a home in Umraniye, Istanbul.
Among the 37 arrested at the beginning of the year were retired general
Veli Kucuk, retired colonel Fikret Karadag, ultranationalist lawyer
Kemal Kerincsiz, Sevgi Erenerol, press spokeswoman for the so-called
"Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate", and Associate Professor Emin Gurses.
Kemalists question motivation behind latest arrests The latest
detentions have been contested by members of the Republican People’s
Party (CHP), as well as Kemalist supporters of the Cumhuriyet
newspaper, who protested in the streets of Istanbul on Saturday.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been accused of
trying to relate the Ergenekon case to the attempt to close the AKP.
Deniz Baykal, chair of the CHP, said, "Turkey is being pushed into a
dangerous conflict." He accused the AKP of "trying to build its own
‘deep state’."
"This cannot go on like this. There are natural limits to this.
Turkey’s law and people are paying the price for these developments."
Former CHP MP Bulent Tanla likened the events to the Hitler period
in Germany.
Prof. Dr. Erol Manisali, lecturer at the Istanbul University economics
faculty, told the private Sky Turk channel, "I could not believe
it. This means that some powers in Turkey have pressed the button."
He added, "The powers which have interests in Turkey and our region,
as well as their extensions, really want to make things tense in
Turkey. In time, we will understand this."
Hurriyet journalist Yalcin Bayer told Sky Turk that anyone whose
telephones were bugged may be taken into police custody in this
manner. He added that the current broadcasting and publishing ban on
the case prevented anyone from finding out real information.
"Because of the ban on broadcasting and publishing, your lawyer does
not know what the other side is saying and cannot make comparisons. I
don’t know where this is leading to. Turkey is slowly moving towards
darkness. If it is even a crime to defend one’s patriotism, then that
means we have come to a very dark point."
CHP’s Izmir MP Ahmet Ersin said, "The people who arrested in such a
hurry are respected individuals. If their statements need to be taken,
they could have been called at a suitable time. This is an attempt to
change the agenda from the AKP closure attempt. There may be other
undemocratic developments now. The AKP is trying to create its own
deep state."
Four arrests After being questioned, Workers’ Party Dogu Perincek
was arrested, as were Ferit Ilsever of the Ulusal TV channel, Serhan
Bolluk, the editor-in-chief of the Aydinlik magazine, and journalist
Adnan Akfirat.
Perincek has been accused of "being a leading member of the Ergekon
terrorist organisation and of acquiring and having secret state
documents in his possession." He has ben taken to Bayrampasa prison
in Istanbul.
Alemdaroglu and Selcuk released The Istanbul Duty 11th Heavy Penal
Court decreed that there were "strong suspicions of guilt" against
former rector Alemdaroglu, seen in the picture. However, because of
his age and health he was released under control. He will have to
register with is local police station every two weeks.
83-year old Cumhuriyet columnist Selcuk was also released after
questioning. He is not permitted to leave the country.
In today’s Radikal newspaper, Selcuk’s lawyer Fikret Ilkiz said that
Selcuk was asked whom he knew of those investigated, who came to the
Cumhuriyet newspaper office. He was also asked about some telephone
conversations, which, so the newspaper, had been recorded.
Journalist Ugur Dundar, who visited Selcuk at his home was quoted
as saying, "He is accused of being the intellectual leader of the
Ergenekon gang. Daily conversations, jokes with the newspaper on the
telephone had been recorded for a long time."
Businessman Ibrahim Benli, who had also been detained, was released
by the prosecution.
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