"A Murder with National Consent"
"In 2001, the Ministry of the Interior said that there was 'no connection' between the two crimes; four years later it was made a 'matter to be followed up' by the Trabzon Police Directorate which is subordinated to the same ministry".
This quotation stems from the third book of journalist and writer İsmail Saymaz entitled "Hate / Malatya: A Murder with National Consent". Just as his first two books, Saymaz' latest publication provides detailed information and documents and witness accounts that were unknown up to now. It was published by Kalkedon Publishing and introduced to the market on 10 October.
The book deals with the murder of Zirve Publishing House employees and missionaries. According to documents mentioned in the book, Protestant clergyman Carl Magnus Stefan Persson was threatened with a note signed by the 'Turkish Revolutionaries' 16 days prior to the murder of Priest Andrea Santoro. The person(s) who sent this threatening message could not be found until the present day.
Saymaz states that "Persson was among the people found 'suspicious' by the police" and explains:
"Santoro and Persson had something in common: The Trabzon Police nicknamed Santoro 'The Pontus Supporter' at the time he was killed. The police showed Persson as Santoro's 'accomplice'. It became clear that the Trabzon Police was not alone in their efforts. In documents of the Malatya Gendarmerie that are included in the Ergenekon investigation, Persson is regarded as a "person from Pontus'".
"National threat: Missionaries"
The book also touches upon the murder of Protestants Necati Aydın, Uğur Yüksel and Tilmann Geske, employees of the Zirve Publishing House. They were killed by five assailants on 18 April 2007 in Maltya. Furthermore, it points to how the government and security institutions regarded missionaries as a "national threat" since 2000. The book also mentions all cases of official and civil violence in that context.
The book includes several notable pieces of information as summarized below.
* The telephone of Andrea Santoro, Priest at the St. Mary Catholic Church in Trabzon (eastern Black Sea coast), was intercepted since 8 November 2005 for the last three month before his violent death on 5 February 2006. The interception was requested by the Trabzon Police Directorate and approved by the Erzurum Special Authority 2nd High Criminal Court. Three days before the end of the period of interception, Santoro was killed by Oğuzhan Akdin.
* It became clear after his death that Santoro was tapped in the context of the "Pontus affiliation". The referring petition was signed by Hasan Durmuşoğlu, then Deputy Head of the Trabzon Anti-Terror Branch. In the section on "Organization/Area of Activity" it was written:
"The individuals are known for carrying out separatist activities in the eastern Black Sea region under the name of Pontus. They want to realize the dream of Pontus. They have been observed at trying to pull citizens in a weak financial situation into their Pontus activities under religious aspects by benefiting from their weakness in our country and in Trabzon in particular"
Threat of the "Turkish Revolutionaries"
* Carl Magnus Stefan Persson of Swedish origin and Dr. Kerim Bozkurt were two of three people who were supposed to be involved into Santoro's "Pontus affiliation" activities, according to documents of the Trabzon Police.
* The names of Persson and Bozkurt are also included in the file of the Zivre Publishing House Murder Trial. Private conversation of the publishing house revealed that both Protestants met Dr. Bozkurt in May 2005 when they went to Trabzon to distribute bibles. Persson received the following threat on 20 January 2006, 16 days prior to the murder of Santoro:
"Leave Trabzon if you love your wife and your children. We say that right now we are warning you. If you do not consider our warning, we will do what is needed on behalf of our country. This is beyond doubt! TURKISH REVOLUTIONISTS".
* Persson filed a complaint with the Trabzon Chief Prosecution the same day. However, nothing was done about it.
"The ground for the murder was prepared"
* In the scope of the Ergenekon investigation carried out by the Istanbul Special Authority Public Chief Prosecution, it was stated related to the Zirve Publishing House murder that the Malatya Gendarmerie Command focussed on Persson who was living in Trabzon.
* According to the statement of a secret witness as included in that file, a document was prepared at "missionary" meetings held at the gendarmerie reading that "A missionary called Magnus settled down in Trabzon in order to prepare the ground for the Santoro murder; the Santoro Murder was committed by right-wing conservatives and Magnus had connections to the [Fetullah] Gülen Community". (AS)