"ERGENEKON" GANG LINKED TO SEVERAL MURDERS
Erol Onderoðlu
BIA
March 6 2008
Turkey
The investigation into the ultra-nationalist Ergenekon gang is looking
at three murders. A photo proving connections between retired general
Kucuk and the suspect in the State Council murder has been found.
It all started last year, when a weapons arsenal was found in
Umraniye, Istanbul. There was a media coverage ban on the event,
and on 21 January of this year, arrests began.
So far 38 arrests in "deep state" case
In total, there have been 38 arrests so far, including several retired
army officers, ultra-nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, two academics
and two writers.
The roots of the gang are said to go back to the Susurluk case of
1996. A car accident in that city shook Turkey because it revealed
connections between the state, the mafia, and nationalist hitmen.
Ever since, there is widespread belief in a "deep state", which
is said to rule the country behind the screen of a democratically
elected government.
Ergenekon: links to State Council attack The investigation has found
links between the Ergenekon gang and the attack on the State Council
in 2006, in which one judge was killed.
The murder suspect Alparslan Arslan is currently on trial.
Now the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecution has been handed a photo
in which retired general Veli Kucuk, one of the main suspects in the
Ergenekon gang is seen with Arslan.
The photograph had been published by the Azadiya Welat newspaper.
When it was first published, Kucuk had denounced it as a photo
montage. It has now been added to the investigation file.
Murders of Hablemitoglu and Garih There are also suspected links
between the Ergenekon gang and bomb attacks on the Cumhuriyet newspaper
in 2006, as well as the murder of academic Dr. Necip Hablemitoglu. One
arrested suspect, Durmus Anucin, has told the prosecution that he
killed the academic together with an Ibrahim Ciftci; the latter was
himself murdered later. The hand grenades used to kill Ciftci in
his office are said to be of the same series as the arsenal found
in Umraniye.
Now the investigation is also reconsidering the murder of Uzeyir Garih,
a prominent businessman stabbed to death in 2001. Although a young
man was convicted of the murder, some people have always suspected
other connections.
According to reports in the media, house searches connected to an
arrested Ergenekon suspect have revealed documents, blood samples,
DNA tests and an autopsy report related to Garih’s murder.
Bianet writer investigated for "breaching ban" Meanwhile,
an investigation has been initiated against journalist Serdar
Degirmencioglu, who wrote an article on the bianet website concerning
the Ergenekon operation. Degirmencioglu had criticised the broadcasting
and publishing ban on the operation by giving examples from the media.
The prosecution has sent orders to the police for Assistant Professor
Degirmencioglu, an independent researcher and children’s rights
activist, to be questioned.
In an article entitled "What are these arrests compared to the real
dangers?" published on the bianet website on 30 January, Degirmencioglu
had said ironcially, "There is a newspaper which really follows the
publishing ban: the Yenicag newspaper. What importance do Gladio,
Susurluk, Ergenekon, the deep state, attacks have when there is still
a danger of foreign powers besieging the country?"
Degirmencioglu was referring to the fact that the Yenicag newspaper had
not given the names of the people arrested in the Ergenekon operation,
and had preferred to write about Armenians and Article 301.
Gunluk Evrensel and other media organs also investigated The same
article was printed in the Gunluk Evrensel newspaper on 1 February,
and the newspaper is also being investigated.
Editor-in-chief Ugras Vatandas has given a statement to the
prosecution, pointing out that the article did not report on the
content of the investigation.
The Gunlul Evrensel newspaper is facing 6 or 7 investigations because
of its coverage of the operation. In two cases, so Vatandas, the
newspaper has been ordered to pay 20,000 YTL preliminary fines.
Because they have refused, trials have been opened.
Dozens of newspapers and TV channels are being investigated for
breaching the broadcasting and publishing ban on the Ergenekon
operation.
–Boundary_(ID_NZeFtUJj1D9gU /42YsoraQ)–