Finally: Erkenegon Goes to Court
One year after the Turkish government (/ prosecutor) started arresting ’suspects’ for the alleged involvement in a group which allegedly had the aim to create chaos so that the military would be forced to stage a coup, the case has gone to court. The prosecutor in the case charged more than eighty suspects with crimes ranging from founding a terrorist organization to overthrow the government, to inciting people to hatred.
Bekir Bozdağ, the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, parliamentary group deputy leader, said the government didn’t manipulate the case. “The government didn’t interfere with the process. It can’t direct the investigation and has no right to do so. The judiciary is independent. Those who claim otherwise tend to pervert the issue,” he said. Bozdağ avoided commenting on the absence of the so-called “coup diaries” by former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek in the indictment.
This is, of course, a lie. Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps some of the suspects are guilty - the judge will have to decide. But the claim that the government was not involved is not true. Erdogan and other AKP leaders have been orchestrating this thing from the get-go. Not only that, Erdogan - and others - have talked about it, defending the case, etc. To the AK Parti, and to AKP leaders and supporters, the suspects have already been found guilty. Their allies in the media have already stated for many weeks that the ‘terrorists’ deserve to be punished, and so on.
Perhaps the case is right about some things, but the way they handled it amateurishly. Additionally, the made a criminal case into a political one. And for that, Erdogan and others ought to be held responsible.
Hakkı Suha Okay, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy parliamentary group leader, said the Ergenekon investigation was violated. “Some [powers] in the country presented information [to the press] with regard to the Ergenekon case and manipulated the investigation process. They imposed a kind of pressure,” said Okay. “Even the prosecutor himself accepts the situation about the leak of information and that a major part of the indictment took place through the media…”
Although the CHP is right, it’s not exactly innocent either. They too have used the case for political purposes.
The Ergenekon indictment charges 86 suspects, including academics, politicians, journalists and high-rank retired military officials. Retired Col. Muzaffer Tekin, retired Brig. Gen. Veli Küçük, and leader of the Worker’s Party, Doğu Perinçek, are among 48 other suspects under arrest. However, the indictment does not cover the last wave of arrests on July 1, including those of Tolon, Eruygur and Mustafa Balbay, the Ankara representative of Cumhuriyet. An additional indictment will be prepared against those suspects, Engin said. The 13th branch of the Court for Serious Crimes will hear the case and the court will decide whether to accept or reject the indictment within 15 days. The Ergenekon indictment is almost 2,500 pages long. Writing the indictment took this long as the investigation was so comprehensive and the number of suspects were so numerous, said Engin.
Yeah. So you lock up people up for 12 months, without giving them the ability to defend themselves, right?
Even if these individuals are guilty, or some of them at least, they should have the right to defend themselves. Instead, however, they have been treated like the United States treats terrorism suspects in Guantanamo Bay. Additionally, they have been portrayed as guilty in the media… before the case actually went to court.
Typical AK Parti, I would say.
We will now have to wait and see what happens in court. Perhaps half of the suspects will be found innocent, while the other have guilty to one degree or another. In such a case, the ones responsible should be forced to step down, especially because it was handled in such a horrific manner.
It goes without saying that if these people are guilty, they are no martyrs. They have - if true - broken the law. People have died and more would probably die if they had there way. If guilty, they do not deserve any sympathy. They only deserve to be punished, and prevented from (ever again) participating in society.
But that’s all if if if. For now, the Ergenekon case has its appearances against it.
It is apparent that the AKP is on its last few breaths. It has chewed on Democracy and spit it out into the media.
It’s absurd to lock up people in the media or other big organizations of organizing a terrorist organization without any terror events. Doesn’t a terrorist organization become a terrorist organization AFTER terrorist events?
This whole Eregenokon situation is basically the same story of the movie "Minority Report". In that they both have people who can I suppose, predict the future crimes of ordinary people.
There is no crime, but there are suspects. The people were arrested and questioned on evidence found in their apartments (which are supposedly Microsoft Word Documents or newspaper articles). They were not questioned on evidence prior to their arrest. In other words, it’s like as if someone high up wanted to arrest some names that they thought were likely to have evidence in their apartment. They found nothing and are now stuck with this mess called "ergenekon". In the United States a judge has to put up a warrant initiated by evidence of wrong-doing, instead it seems the AK party has arrested these people hoping that there would be evidence in their apartments.
In the United States there is Habeas Corpus, in which their crime should have been told to them and tried in court. For some reason Kuddussi Okkir received no such treatment.