Former Interior Minister Cleared of Murder Charges

The case against former chief of police and later Interior Minister Mehmet Ağar has been postponed. Ağar is tried under charges of "establishing an armed organization" in the context of the Sursurluk scandal.

The Susurluk scandal was reltated to a car accident in which three people died in 1996 revealed relations between the police, a parliamentarian from Urfa, the southeast of Turkey, and a contract killer. These "deep state" relations were investigated in a satisfactory manner, leading many to claim that the current clandestine Ergenekon organisation was able to grow out of Susurluk.

The families of İbrahim Yalçın Arıkan and Nurten Demir, who were both killed in police operations against the militant lefitst Dev-Sol organization in 1993/94, previously applied to be accepted as joint plaintiffs. The court rejected their request.

MP Perivan Buldan demanded to be accepted as joint plaintiff as well related to the killing of her husband Savaş Buldan. However, due to the recent closure of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), Buldan had not been albe to collect all necessary documents and askes for more time. Her request was accepted by the court.

Ağar did not attend the hearing on 25 December. His immunity was lifted after he had not been elected in 2007. His prosecution began 11 November 2008. The case is to be continued on 11 February 2010.

The right to joint plaintiffship

Arıkan was killed in the Istanbul district of Bahçelievler on 24 March 1993, Demir died in Kasımpaşa (Istanbul) on 14 July 1992, both were killed in the course of police operations. Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı reminded that Ayhan Çarkın is also among the defendants on trial regarding the operations. Kozağaçlı pointed out that the incidents "overlap with the manners of typical crimes of a gang".

"They commit a crime like a police operation. The incident is covered up by top-level public officials. The investigation that lead to the acquittal of 2 people was carried out by members of the gang. They obscured evidence. Like this, the court was in a position to decide for their acquittal", Kozağaçlı explained.

Based on  Ağar's saying "we carried out 1,000 operations". the lawyer has applied for joint plaintiffship 6 times since the beginning of the case. Kozağaçlı indicated, "We still have the right for plantiffship under article 994".

Susurluk

In the parliament's report about the Susurluk scandal the folling points were mentioned related to defendant Ağar:

* The passport and weapons found with contract killer Abdullah Çatlı in the accident had been given to him on the order of Mehmet Ağar and former Special Operation Office Deputy Chairman İbrahim Şahin. They had also given him internal information.

* On Ağar's order, police officers Ayhan Çarkın, Ercan Ersoy and Oğuz Yorulmaz,  murder suspects for the killing of Ömer Lütfü Topal, were detained in Istanbul and brought to Ankara. After a shallow investigation, all 3 suspects were released, again on the order of Ağar.

Mehmet Ağar was Erzurum Mayor in 1992 and became Chief of Police in July 1993. In December 1995, he was elected MP for the True Path Party. Ağar was Justice Minister between March and Jund 1996 and Interior Minister between June and November 1996. (EÜ/VK)