President Erdoğan replaces 24 police chiefs appointed during former interior minister's term

Süleyman Soylu (Photo: AA/File)

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made changes to the leadership of 24 provincial police departments, all of whom were appointed during the tenure of former Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu.

The dismissed police chiefs have been transferred to inactive duties under the command of the General Directorate of Security.

The changes come after President Erdoğan replaced Soylu as Minister of Interior with Ali Yerlikaya, the former İstanbul governor. Soylu was known for his "tough" stance as the minister and has often faced criticism regarding human rights issues.

Opposition politicians have accused Soylu of having ties with individuals who were subjects of various criminal investigations and cases, based on photographs showing them together. One prominent figure making allegations against Soylu was Sedat Peker, a notorious figure from the underworld whose online confessions in 2021 shook the country.

Elected an MP for Erdoğan's AKP in the elections in May, Soylu now heads the Internal Affairs Committee of the parliament.

Upon replacing him, Yerlikaya had emphasized that "the primary references for our actions will be law and human rights."

Among those removed from their positions were individuals considered "close to Soylu," including Resul Holoğlu, the deputy director general of police, and Servet Yılmaz, the chief of police in Ankara, as reported by the T24 news portal.

Sabit Akın Zaimoğlu, who previously served as the head of Intelligence Department, has been reassigned to Bursa Provincial Police Department. Similarly, Hasan Yiğit, the head of Counterterrorism Department, has been appointed to Balıkesir Provincial Police Department.

A police chief surrounded by controversies

Among the replaced officials, Ergin Dinç, who formerly headed the Intelligence Department at the General Directorate of Security, was particularly a controversial figure. He was the first person to have information about the assassination plot against journalist Hrant Dink when he was the Head of Intelligence Branch in Trabzon. Dink, an Armenian of Turkey, was murdered in 2007.

In the aftermath of the murder, the indictment accused Dinç of failing to protect Hrant Dink's right to life, despite being aware of the individuals involved in the plot. He was also accused of neglecting to carry out an operation against the organization responsible for planning the murder, thus being charged with "homicide through negligence" and "abuse of duty." Dinç was acquitted of these charges due to the statute of limitations.

Dinç was eventually promoted and appointed as the Head of Intelligence Department, and later served as the chief of police in various cities such as Eskişehir and Konya before being appointed to Ankara, the capital.

Additionally, Dinç's name had been involved in controversies surrounding events in Trabzon city, such as the bombing of a McDonald's restaurant in 2004, the attempted lynching of members of the Association of Families with Convicts and Detainees (TAYAD) in 2005, and the killing of pastor Andrea Santoro in the same year.

Dinç's name was also associated with the investigation into the Ankara Central Station bombing, carried out by ISIS on October 10, 2015, where it was alleged that he delayed sending intelligence to counter-terrorism units, leading to a public outcry.

Other appointments

Under the new decree, Sabit Akın Zaimoğlu, who had served as the head of Intelligence Department at the General Directorate of Security since 2018, has been appointed as the chief of police in Bursa. Hasan Yiğit, the Head of Counterterrorism Department, has been assigned to Balıkesir Provincial Police Department.

Among those who were dismissed is Levent Tuncer, who served as the chief of police in Erzurum when a campaign bus for the opposition politician Ekrem İmamoğlu was attacked with stones. Kadir Yırtar, who was the Chief of Police in Karabük, has been appointed as his replacement.

According to the new decree, Mahmut Çorumlu, the head of Smuggling and Organized Crime Department, Dr. Ömer Urhal, the chief of police in Samsun, and police inspectors Selami Yıldız and Caner Tayfur were appointed as Deputy Directors General of Police. (RT/VK)