COURT ACCEDES 56 MORE SUSPECTS TO ERGENEKON CASE

BIA
March 25 2009
Turkey

Retired generals Tolon and Eruygur are accused of conspiring against
the government in the 1909 page-long indictment. Journalist Dink’s
murder as well as a former generals diaries explaining coup plans
and journalist Balbay’s diaries are featured in the indictment.

Bia news center -Istanbul 25-03-2009

An Istanbul court accedes a second indictment to Ergenekon case
today, where 56 more suspects are accused of conspiring against
the government. The first hearing of the case will be held on July
20. Until then, interrogations of the suspects will be completed. The
court is expected to decide to annex this indictment to the ongoing
case or to proceed with a separate case in the first hearing. 19 of
the suspects are under arrest as of now. The court rejected requests
of release for those suspects.

In the 1909 page-long indictment, retired generals HurÅ~_it Tolon
and Å~^ener Eruygur are accused of leading the alleged organization
and planning a coup. Public prosecutor’s office demanded a thousand
and 47 years of prison sentences as well as life imprisonment on 14
incidents for the two generals.

The indictment involves two coup plans dubbed as "Yakamoz" and
"Eldiven". Former navy commander Ozden Ornek’s alleged diaries,
which contain coup plans in 2003 and 2004 are quoted in the
indictment. Despite allegations of involvement in those plans, Ornek
and other army commanders Aytac Yalman and Ä°brahim Fırtına aren’t
among the suspects.

Furthermore, journalist Mustafa Balbay’s alleged diaries are also
featured in the indictment. Already under arrest, Balbay denied any
involvement in coup plans and claimed that his "notes" were distorted
in the press. Published "notes" reveal conversations on coup plans
between Balbay and several army commanders.

More over, depending on a confession by Alaatin Kanat, Turkish Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink’s murder in 2007 was initiated by former general
Veli Kucuk and the illegal gendarmerie intelligence unit, JÄ°TEM.

Another allegation involves Ergenekon organization’s efforts to
influence the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and
the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The organization
supposedly tried to seize the direction of those parties.

Full list of the accused are as follows:

Levent Temiz, Hakan Å~^anlı, Adnan Turkkan, Suleyman Solmaz,
Hatice Bahtiyar, Emcet Olcaytu, Adil Serdar Sacan, Hamza Demir,
Fatma Sibel Yuksek, Erol Mutercimler, Mahir Akkar, Mesut Ozcan,
Sinan Aydın Aygun, Mustafa Ali Balbay, Emin Å~^irin, Osman Gurbuz,
Ufuk Mehmet Buyukcelebi, Ercument Ovalı, Muhammed Murat Avar, Ahmet
Tuncay Ozkan, Birol BaÅ~_aran, Adnan Bulut, Selim Utku Gumrukcu,
Ertac Giray, Mehmet Ali Celebi, Merdan Yanardag, Ä°lker Guven,
Siyami Yalcın, Halis Yavuz IÅ~_ıklar, Kemal Aydın, Murat Agırel,
Tunc Akkoc, Arif Dogan, Gurbuz Capan, Neriman Aydın, Hasan Atilla
Ugur, Barbaros Hayrettin AltıntaÅ~_, Ahmet HurÅ~_it Tolon, Mehmet
Å~^ener Eruygur, DurmuÅ~_ Ali Ozoglu, Ä°brahim Ozcan, Levent Ersöz,
Turhan Cömez, Dogukan Yorulmaz, Muzaffer Ozturk, Tanju Guvendiren,
Eren Mumcu, Hasan Huseyin Ucar, Noyan CalıkuÅ~_u, YaÅ~_ar Tozkoparan,
Evrim Baykara, Onder Koc, Huseyin Nazlıkul, Yuksel Dilsiz, Huseyin
Keskin, Ferda Paksut.(TK/AGU)