Complaint about Chief of General Staff Goes to Military Prosecutor

Istanbul Independent MP Ufuk Uras and activist Cengiz Algan filed a complaint against Chief of General Staff İlker Başbuğ at the Sultanahmet (Istanbul) Courthouse today.

Subject of the complaint is Başbuğ's speech from 21 September in the province of Mardin (close to the Syrian border). Uras expresses in the petition that the Chief of General Staff "exceeded his authority and power in his political speeches". The petition was also signed by Oya Baydar, Baskın Oran, Ahmet İnsel, Mithat Sancar, Mebuse Tekay, Aydın Engin and Sezgin Tanrıkulu.

"Is the law applied equally to every citizen?"

Uras handed the petition to the Sultanahmet Courthouse yesterday (28 September), telling bianet: "We submit this petition because we believe in the rule of law". Uras informed bianet that the Public Prosecutor decided for lack of jurisdiction and consigned the petition to the Military Prosecutor's Office.

"Başbuğ exceeded the power that was vested in him. We want to show that everybody in this country can be trialed, even the Chief of General Staff. However, by throwing the ball to the Military Prosecutor's Office, Başbuğ's prosecution is being obstructed".

Uras argued: "There is no ground in this country to prosecute the chief of general staff although a complaint has been filed against him. With this petition we hope to open up a beginning to this process".

"The biggest power of this country is the Turkey Grand National Assembly. There is no higher prerogative or civic power above it. If the expression specified in the Constitution is correct, the chief of staff must be tried as well. Başbuğ is also a government official. How come that the other government officials are tried on the grounds of exceeding their authority, so there must be the possibility to trial Başbuğ as well".

Uras explained that with this petition they want to find an answer to the question whether the law is applied equally to every citizen. He added: "Regarding the military prosecutor's attitude, this issue will be conveyed to the Turkey Grand National Assembly". The TBMM is going to re-open on 1^st October.

Response from sociologist Beşikçi

In the course of the religious holiday after the fasting month of Ramadan, Başbuğ went to the province of Mardin in the southeast of Turkey and gave a speech at the Sınırtepe Police Station. He was quoted as saying:

"Especially people from this region, our citizens, including eastern Anatolia, these people support the aghas [village clan chiefs]. If we are at this point today, this is one of the basic foundations. Those who have suffered from aghast are now suffering from political and terrorist aghas. One of the basic questions is how to free our people from political and terrorist aghas".

Sociologist Dr. İsmail Beşikçi emphasized in an evaluation for bianet:  "Today's greatest aghas are the village policemen in eastern and southeastern Anatolia". (BÇ/VK)