Yet Another Wave of “Ergenekon” Prosecution: 37 Detained

Among the detained during Wednesday police operations in six different localites across the country are Prof. Dr. Yalçın Küçük, journalist Engin Aydın, İbrahim Şahin former Special Police Operations Chief, retired two-star general Erdal Şenel, former legal counselor for the army chief of staff, retired four-star general Tuncer Kılınç, former secretary general of the National Security Council, retired four-star general Kemal Yavuz, former Land Forces Commander, Prof. Kemal Gürüz, former chair of Higher Council of Education.

The detainees are known for their staunch opposition against the ruling AKP government for its İslamic references and critical approach towards established practices of secularism from above.

Police teams are reported to conduct searches in the house of Sabih Kanadoğlu former Head Prosecutor of the High Court of Appeals. Former Istanbul Mayor Bedrettin Dalan’s offices in his İstek Foundation and in the foundation owned private Yeditepe University are also reported searched. Dalan has been staying in the USA for the last two months.

The searches and detentions are reported to be conducted under orders from 9th High Criminal Court of Istanbul.

Opposition CHP leader Baykal denounces the prosecution

“We are faced with a political prosecution not with a legal one,” Baykal told journalists in a press briefing on Wednesday. “The detentions reflect an act of political revenge.”

Baykal charged the government with “settling accounts with the principles raised by the detainees rather more than their personal behaviour.”

CHP leader also warned the “responsible people”  in the European Union to evaluate the picture, carefully.

The Ergenekon prosecution started in June 2007 when a great amount of hand grenades were discovered in a shanty house in Istanbul's remote suburb of Umraniye. The grenades recorded in the army invetories were found to be linked to unresolved bombings. Successive arrests and a chain of interrogations has resulted with the arrests of  prominent political and former military figures along with mafia convicts. Already more than 80 people are presently under trial for "attempted overthrow of the government by violent means". Until this day not any one of the accused have admitted the charges before the court.(EK).