Suspicious Death of Naval Colonel - Again

Retired Marine Officer Süleyman Yılmaz was found dead in front of his house on Monday night (18 January).

According to the news, Yılmaz got up at around 3.00 am on 18 January to have a glass of water. After a while, the Marine Officer's wife Mahide Yılmaz saw Yılmaz' body lying on the ground in front of their apartment block in the Ayazağa (Istanbul) Oyak Compound when she looked out of the window from the third floor. Yılmaz' body was taken to the morgue of the Şişli Etfal Hospital.

The prosecution initiated an investigation into the incident.

As reported by Hürriyet, Yılmaz retired from the Black Sea Ereğli Directorate of the Military Department in 1999.

Nine deaths under suspicious circumstances since Mayıs 2007

Yılmaz is the seventh person in a chain of deaths of naval forces officers since May 2007. A total of nine people have lost their lives under suspicious circumstances in the meantime. Other than the naval officers, the deaths of one officer of JİTEM, the Turkish gendarmerie's clandestine intelligence and counterterrorism service, and of one executive of the Special Operations Unit of the Police General Directorate were registered.

Retired Marine Colonel Birol Atatkan: He died in a questionable traffic accident on the road between Istanbul and Ankara in May 2007. Atakan presumably got hold of crucial information regarding the Ergenekon case.  Ergenekon is a clandestine ultra-nationalist terrorist organization charged with plotting to overthrow the government. Atatkan was an orderly officer to former Naval Forces Commander Yener Karahanoğlu. Before that, he worked together with Özden Örnek at the Naval Forces Command. Atakan was supposedly responsible for the deliberate or inadvertend leakage of the coup diaries attributed to Özden Örnek to the internet. Atakan was the alleged connection between Karahanoğlu and Örnek.

Physician Lieutenant Colonel Nursal Gedik: He allegedly committed suicide on 11 November 2007. However, his family denied suicide claims.

Retired Colonel Abdülkerim Kırca: He was found dead in his military accommodation in January 2009. Kırca had held PKK militant and JİTEM member Addülkadir Aygan responsible for several unsolved murders. The retired colonel was paralysed below the waist since a clash in 1998. In 2004, he was awarded the "State Medal of Pride". Kırca as former JİTEM Regional Commander in Diyarbakır was also involved in the Ergenekon investigation.

Head of Special Operations Department Behçet Oktay: After holding the position of Head of the Police Special Operations Department for 13 years, Oktay was found severely wounded in his office in February 2009. He was brought to hospital where he died of his serious injuries. Oktay was on duty in Diyarbakır between 1994 and 1997, coinciding with the term of Colonel Kırca's duty. Elazığ Police Special Operations Branch Chief Ayhan Atabek, detained in the context of the Ergenekon investigation, and Antalya Special Operations Group Supervisor Servet Kaynak said that they wanted Oktay's help to set up a team for the assassination of former member of the Special Forces İbrahim Şahin, also detained due to the Ergenekon investigation. The prosecution had found out about numerous phone calls between Oktay and Şahin.

Senior Captain Olgun Vural: He was said to have committed suicide after the announcement of the second Ergenekon indictment in March 2009. Vural was included in the evidence section of the first Ergenekon case. In the indictment he was quoted as saying: "Vural is an Alevi from the Sivas district of Gemerekli. He was appointed by Captain Ali Tatar".

Judge Lieutenant Colonel Tanju Ünal: He supposedly committed suicide on 26 June 2009 when he was on duty at the Southern Sea Area Command. Ünal was president judge in the trial against Retired Naval Forces Commander İlhami Erdil.

Retired General Staff Colonel Ali Bergütay Varımlı: As one of the military officers testifying in the Ergenekon case, Varımlı allegedly committed suicide on 21 November 2009. He was involved in the trial against İlhami Erdil as a witness. We was claimed to be the military officer who deciphered the 'Blond Girl' and 'Moonlight' coup plans.

Marine Lieutenant Colonel Ali Tatar: Tatar's name was known in the context of the "vice admirals' assassination" investigation. 42-year-old Tatar was arrested on 7 December related to documents confiscated in Poyrazköy. He was released on 16 December upon the objection of his lawyers. Though, a new arrest warrant was issued upon the prosecution's appeal on 18 December. Tatar committed suicide in his military accommodation on 20 December 2009. (TK/VK)