Military Prosecutor Bans News About Aktütün Assault “Just In Case”

The General Staff Military Court put a ban on publishing the news that appeared in daily Taraf on October 14, 2008 under the title of “We had told you to confess Aktütün…We are making it public.”

According to the Anatolia Agency, the military court reached its decision on the grounds that the crime of “making the information regarding the state security public” might materialize. The source of the said crime is  article 329 of the Turkish Penal Code.

“We are conducting an investigation about those caught”

The military prosecutor stated that publishing such reports may have jeopardized the purpose of the investigation for leaking the documents concerning the security of the state.

In the military announcement regarding the ban that was made public yesterday (October 1) the prosecutor said that a unanimous decision was taken, in accordance with the 13th and 28th articles of the Constitution and the 3/2nd of the Press Law, to restrict the media institutions from getting, spreading, interpreting information about and criticizing the foregoing case and thus place a publishing ban until the investigation was completed.

Daily Taraf: The military was aware of the coming attack for a month

The main critique that upset the General Staff came from daily Taraf on October 14 as it published the gendarmerie report about the Aktütün assault. According to Taraf, the intelligence about the ambush was not taken into consideration. Taraf also had the images taken by the unmanned aerial vehicles published.

In return, Chief of Staff İlker Başbuğ said, without naming anyone, “The confidence of the Turkish Armed Forces in itself is complete. Those who leaked this information, those who used classified information will be punished. Those who show the separatist terrorist organization victorious are responsible for the blood that was shed.The systematic attacks in the recent days will only increase the strength, resolve and determination of the Turkish Armed Forces. I invite everyone to be careful, to be on the right side. ” (EÖ/TB)