Indictment of Ergenekon Case is declared

Long waited indictment of the controversial case of Ergenekon case has been declared by the Turkish Chief Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin with a great interest of press and national and international TV channels at 9.45 am.

Under the name of Ergenekon. 85 people are charged with forming a terrorist group in order to destroy the government of Turkish Republic and reshaping the system and causing nation to riots against the state and the government.

According the indictment, the grenades found in June, 2007, in Umraniye district of Istanbul are suspected to be connected with Ergenekon network and so far known 85 people are suspected and 49 of them are in custody. Retired Colonel Veli Kucuk and Workers’ Party Leader Dogu Perincek have been in custody since March 2008.

Kuddisi Okkir, well know businessman was accused to be funding the whole Ergenekon network and held under custody for more than 13 months without any indictment. He has been released only few days before when he died of cancer spread to whole of his body on June 6. This event has dropped many more question marks into minds since his wife could not even afford his cemetery expenses and he was accused to be the funding person of the terrorist organization.

On July 1, there were new custodies including Sinan Aygun who is Head of Chamber of Commerce in Ankara Region, and Retired General Sener Eruygur who is Head of Kemalist Thought Association Chairman and Retired General Hursit Tolon. More than the well known names are being under custody, the way that they are taken from their houses at early morning even though they could have been called to the court on through the stages of the case.

By the main opposition party CHP (Republican People’s Party) leader Deniz Baykal, Tayyip Erdogan, the current Prime Minister of Turkey is accused to be “trying to solve his own case” by arresting Anti-AKP ( Justice and Development Party) in order to create a wind of fear for his opponents. Not having an indictment for a long time while there are many custodies caused well known intellectuals reactions against the prosecutor of Ergenekon case.

Recent news around 19.30 has been given by the leading TV channels of Turkey that Sinan Aygun, Head of Chamber of Commerce in Ankara Region is released.

Gökhan Kurtaran