A Turkish court decides to hear the indictment on Ergenekon case

The so-called "Ergenekon" gang has no relations with Turkish armed forces and National Intelligence Agency (MIT), the indictment says.

 

The gang is accused of plotting assassinations against Turkish army chief and Turkey's pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) officials, it also says.

 

The Ergenekon case started 13 months ago with the discovery of grenades in a house in Istanbul’s Umraniye district; however the indictment was submitted only two weeks ago. Â

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The lack of the indictment in the operation, and the detainment of anti-AKP politicians, journalists and intellectuals without any legal charge raised eyebrows in Turkey, as many questioned whether the operation is being used to suppress opponents of the ruling party.

 

In the indictment prosecutors accuse 86 defendants of forming an illegal organization believed to be planning provoking events that would pave the way for a military coup to overthrow the AKP government.

 

The indictment charges 86 suspects, including retired army officers, anti-government journalists and intellectuals, with the allegations of “forming a terrorist organization, being a member of a terrorist organization and helping a terrorist organization."

 

An additional indictment would be prepared for those detained in the sixth wave of the operation in July 1, including Kemalist Thought Association Chairman Retired Gen. Sener Eruygur, Retired Gen. Hursit Tolon and Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO).

 

The 2,500 page-long indictment would be publicized if the court accepts it. Still it is unlikely to shed a light on the operation. Turkish public is divided over the issue, even some question whether such organization exists or it is just a cover to suppress the opposition.

 

The extent of the operation had widened since the closure case against the AKP filed in March. Although the closure case and the Ergenekon case are separate legal processes, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had linked the two cases saying the closure case against the AKP was filed due to the government’s determination in the Ergenekon case.

 

The latest detainment in the investigation came on Thursday when a film director was taken into custody by Turkish police in the Aegean city of Canakkale. The director Halis Yavuz Isiklar, 61, was later taken to Istanbul.