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TURKISH POLITICIANS, REPORTERS ACCUSED ON LINKS WITH ERGENEKON
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2008 16:49 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two senior officials of a Turkish political party, a
former university rector and the chief columnist of a daily newspaper -
all known for their neo-nationalism and ultra-secularism - were taken
into custody early on Friday morning over alleged links to a criminal
network with suspected links to the army and bureaucracy.
Workers Party (IP) Chairman Dogu Perincek, IP Secretary-General Ferit
Ilsever and Cumhuriyet daily chief columnist Ilhan Selcuk, as well as
a former Istanbul University rector, Kemal Alemdaroglu were detained
as part of an investigation into a criminal network that calls itself
Ergenekon, after a legend of how Turks came into being.
The ongoing investigation had previously uncovered evidence showing
that the gang was attempting to prepare the ground for a coup d'etat
in Turkey in 2009. Ergenekon is suspected of shady links to groups
hidden within the state. These groups are commonly referred to as
Turkey's "deep state," a vague concept of a phenomenon in which
individuals and groups occupying various positions in the state take
justice into their own hands to shape Turkey in accordance with their
political convictions.
The arrests come at a time when allegations have been made that a
recent closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) was filed with the Constitutional Court to prevent further
development of the Ergenekon investigation.
The police have also raided the offices of TV station Ulusal Kanal
(National Channel) and the Aydili newsweekly.
The arrests follow the interrogation on Wednesday of Sedat Peker -
an ultranationalist underworld leader currently serving 14 years in
prison for involvement in organized crime - over his alleged links
to the Ergenekon gang. Suspects of the 1996 Susurluk affair Yasar O
and Semih Tufan Gualtay were also interrogated by the prosecutor on
Wednesday as part of the same investigation.
In January 39 suspects were arrested during raids targeting the gang,
including retired Gen. Veli Kucuk nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz,
academic Emin Gurses and press speaker of the so-called "Turkish
Orthodox Patriarchate," Today's Zaman reports
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2008 16:49 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two senior officials of a Turkish political party, a
former university rector and the chief columnist of a daily newspaper -
all known for their neo-nationalism and ultra-secularism - were taken
into custody early on Friday morning over alleged links to a criminal
network with suspected links to the army and bureaucracy.
Workers Party (IP) Chairman Dogu Perincek, IP Secretary-General Ferit
Ilsever and Cumhuriyet daily chief columnist Ilhan Selcuk, as well as
a former Istanbul University rector, Kemal Alemdaroglu were detained
as part of an investigation into a criminal network that calls itself
Ergenekon, after a legend of how Turks came into being.
The ongoing investigation had previously uncovered evidence showing
that the gang was attempting to prepare the ground for a coup d'etat
in Turkey in 2009. Ergenekon is suspected of shady links to groups
hidden within the state. These groups are commonly referred to as
Turkey's "deep state," a vague concept of a phenomenon in which
individuals and groups occupying various positions in the state take
justice into their own hands to shape Turkey in accordance with their
political convictions.
The arrests come at a time when allegations have been made that a
recent closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) was filed with the Constitutional Court to prevent further
development of the Ergenekon investigation.
The police have also raided the offices of TV station Ulusal Kanal
(National Channel) and the Aydili newsweekly.
The arrests follow the interrogation on Wednesday of Sedat Peker -
an ultranationalist underworld leader currently serving 14 years in
prison for involvement in organized crime - over his alleged links
to the Ergenekon gang. Suspects of the 1996 Susurluk affair Yasar O
and Semih Tufan Gualtay were also interrogated by the prosecutor on
Wednesday as part of the same investigation.
In January 39 suspects were arrested during raids targeting the gang,
including retired Gen. Veli Kucuk nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz,
academic Emin Gurses and press speaker of the so-called "Turkish
Orthodox Patriarchate," Today's Zaman reports