Real Aim Behind “Operation Back to Life”
A report prepared about the plan of “Operation Revelation” has been revealed with the document presented to the court file of Bakırköy 13th High Criminal Court - the court had tried Bayrampaşa Prison case.
Gendarmerie General Command sent the report to the court. Colonel Ali Aydın, Chairman of Gendarmerie General Command’s Department of Public Order, and Major Cemal Vural, Branch Manager of General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses, had signed the report.
The drafting date of the report is September 25-30, 2000.
In other words, approximately one month before October 20, 2000- the date the hunger strikes started, a report about the operation preparations was prepared by researching in prisons.
“We understood one more time and perceptibly that the committee meetings were just ‘perfunctory’,” lawyer Oya Aslan told bianet about the committee report.
Colonel Aydın and Major Vural drafted a report with their research they made in prisons in Kocaeli, Gebze, Ümraniye, Pasakapısı, Bayrampasa, Kartal, Metris, Tekirdag, Çanakkale and Bursa on September 25-30, 2000.
Advices about the operation plans presented to the court before, such as “Tufan plan” of “sure-to-be-done” operation take place in the report.
A section for “things to be practiced” about media and judgment is also found. Some expressions serving as “advices” in the research report and about the operation are these:
Media and NGOs
“We need to give importance to psychological operation activities by attempting with the presence of non-governmental organizations and media to mold public opinion.”
“Cannot happen without shedding blood”
“Gendarmerie personnel is in the belief of the operation cannot end without shedding blood and they are worried when the mission is completed they will be sentenced.”
“Gendarmerie should not be a suspect”
“In the events of rebellion in prisons, the duties and power of Gendarmerie should be rearranged for intervention to the rebellion. A situation in which the rebel prisoners and convicts are regarded as victims, and the gendarmerie having no aim but to provide the state authority is defendant position, should be avoided.”
One troop is not enough, team is needed
“Intervention troops need equipped staff and special material. These should be completed.”
“Commandos remained incapable in the drill. The intervention plan should be prepared again with respect to the intervention of Commando troop to the prison. We gave the order for the operation plan to be practiced according to this.”
Prisons divided into three
“Imprisoned individuals on grounds of terror and organized crimes should be divided into three categories: the ones expected no resistance, the ones with a chance of little resistance (the ones evaluated as they will be treated with shedding no blood and no problem.) and expected a serious and exact resistance.”
“Individuals in the first group should be released at the same time.”
“In the second and third groups, we need to wait by encompassing them to get out after their electricity, water, food are cut.”
“After all, gas should be used on the ones requiring intervention and oblige them to evacuation. Nevertheless, if there are still individuals who does not quit, special troops must force them to evacuate.”
“An amnesty is needed”
“The target group should be minimized by granting an amnesty for the terror criminals on the level of complicity.”
The object of the report is stated as: “ … to try the operation style in a possible resistance, to control the practicability of prison intervention plans.”
The next hearing of Bayrampaşa Prison case is on December 9, 2012. (AS/MEV)
* Click here to read the article in Turkish.