“Cumhuriyet”s Ankara Rep. Balbay Is Out

The court released daily “Cumhuriyet”s Ankara representative Mustafa Balbay and retired rear admiral İlker Güven, who were taken into custody in connection with the Ergenekon investigation.

The other detainees Osman Gürbüz, retired colonel Hasan Atilla Uğur, Birol Başaran, İbrahim Özcan and head of Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Sinan Aygün, Kemal Aydın, Durmuş Ali Özoğlu were arrested and put in Metris prison in İstanbul.

Thus, the number of the arrested detainees in the last operation rose to eight ad the overall number for the investigation became fifty six. 

Released Mustafa Balbay told the journalists that he had to decline from commenting about the incident since the judiciary process was not completed yet. He further said that he was against all kinds of terror and felt that he was a casualty of terror, waving his yellow press card while talking.

According to cnnturk.com, he told the journalists that the questions the authorities asked him during the investigation were about his profession, that he entered the building as a journalist and leaving it as one.   

The court released Prof. Dr. Ercüment Ovalı, writer Erol Mütercimler and founder of the Turkish Youth Association Adnan Türkkan. It is still questioning former commander of Gendarmerie Forces Şener Eruygur and retired general Hurşit Tolon.  (NZ/TB)