ERGENEKON INVESTIGATION HAS VARIED EFFECT ON TURKISH NGO’S, MINORITY GROUPS

2010/02/22 | 10:21

Region

Turkish NGO’s and groups that focus on human rights and minority issues
are split on the issue of whether the Ergenekon case has led to an
increase or decrease in pressure exerted by the state against them.

Etyen Mahcupyan, Agos chief editor and a columnist for Taraf, says
that the Ergenekon investigation has cut the number of threats made
against Agos. Mahcupyan told Hurriyet that it was hard to say who was
behind the recent hacking of the Agos website. The investigation began
in 2007 into a suspected gang known as Ergenekon that was allegedly
plotting to overthrow the ruling government.

"We have the usual number [of threats against Agos] via e-mail, so
they do not count," he said, adding that whenever Armenian issues
are in the forefront, like April 24 Genocide commemorations, threats
toward the newspaper rise. At the same time, however, the newspaper
becomes temporarily "forgotten" whenever the Kurdish problem begins
taking the country’s attention," Mahcupyan said.

Ozturk Turkdogan, president of the Human Rights Association, or IHD,
said the organization "always receives threatening messages," and he
had observed no difference between 2007 and today.

Akın Birdal, a deputy from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party,
or BDP, said the threats may have decreased but human rights violations
have not. "The guarantee for human rights and liberties is the law
itself, and you see the state of the law," he said, pointing to the
recent government-judiciary tension.