Former Chief of Police Arrested

The Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court arrested Hanefi Avcı, former Eskişehir Chief of Police, on Tuesday (28 September) in the scope of the investigation into the illegal "Revolutionary Headquarters Organization". Avcı had been taken into custody in Ankara under allegations of aiding the clandestine organization.

Avcı, author of the book "Simons in the Golden Horn", was brought from Ankara to Istanbul and taken to the Beşiktaş Courthouse in a civil car. He was taken to prosecutor Kadir Altınışık to give his statement.

Avcı called journalists Ruşen Çakır and Saygı Öztürk when he was brought to Istanbul and criticized the treatment he was experiencing. "I am not a member of the organization. The ones who are doing this to me are members of the organization. They were caught red-handed when they illegally eavesdropped on a phone. This wiretapping was illegal. They do this because they have no cover for what they did".

According to Ntvmnsbc.com, Avcı did not want a lawyer. He stayed at the judge's office for about 2.5 hours before the decision for his arrest was issued at around 9.00 pm. After an arrest warrant was issued in his name, Avcı told NTV, "It is understood that we are right, they issued an arrest decision". Avcı was taken to the Paşakapısı Prison in Üsküdar on Istanbul's Asian side.

Office and home was searched

In the meantime, the house within the Eskişehir Police housing where Avcı stayed during his time in office and his office in the Eskişehir Police Directorate, which he had not emptied yet, were searched. The search took about four hours.

Avcı's wife: They won't silence him

Avcı's wife Şenay Avcı confirmed the search at their home: "They can search but they will not find anything. This is the house of a police officer. I am the wife of a police officer", she argued.

"I am the wife of a man like a mountain. My husband did nothing else but working for the state. He would write his book again, nobody can silence him. We, as his family, stand close behind him like a rock".

Prosecution called him but he did not come

The Istanbul Public Prosecution called Avcı to give a statement last week. However, Avcı did not appear before the prosecutor, saying that he was on holiday. Thereupon, the prosecution issued an arrest warrant in his name.

Accused of aiding the Revolutionary Headquarters Organization

Avcı was taken into custody under allegations of "aiding the Revolutionary Headquarters Organization".

13 out of a total of 17 people taken into custody last week were arrested under charges of membership of the "Revolutionary Headquarters" organization in Istanbul.

It was put forward that Avcı used a phone belonging to Necet Kılıç, one of the people arrested in Istanbul.

On 25 September, Avcı went to Izmir for a promotion of his book and told the journalists that he would issue a press release on 29 September after having given his statement to the prosecutor and the military prosecutor in which he was going to explain the facts. (BB/EÖ/VK)