Ergenekon trial to get more space
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Radikal
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 18, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL -The location where hearings are being held in the Ergenekon case will be changed in order to accomodate more people during sessions. The decision was taken by the Justice Ministry to relocate the trial room within the Silivri prison complex due to massive interest in the case.
The Justice Ministry has announced that the ongoing Ergenekon trial will be relocated in order to accommodate more people. The hearings in the controversial Ergenekon case, currently being held at the Silivri prison complex, will be moved to a new location within the same complex. Â
Ergenekon is an alleged gang that is accused of seeking to topple the government by creating unrest in the country. The case began with the discovery of 27 hand grenades in a shanty house in an Istanbul suburb in 2007. Other events such as the bombing of secular-leaning daily Cumhuriyet and the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink have been associated with Ergenekon. At the moment, hearings have been suspended until Aug. 3. Parallel hearings with regard to suspected retired generals will be held July 20.
Nizamettin Kalaman, the general director of prisons at the Justice Ministry, said Silivri Prison was suffering from overcrowding, just like all other prisons. "We cannot find room for suspects and convicts in Istanbul," he said. "A 20,000-capacity prison is not enough for a population of 14 million." Kalaman said the construction of two more buildings at Silivri was still incomplete because of a problem caused by the contractors.
753-person capacity
According to Kalaman, the sports hall in the Silivri prison complex is being prepared for use as the new location for the hearings in the Ergenekon case. The new courtroom can hold 753 people, including the suspects, lawyers, the audience and members of the press. There is a section with a 180-person capacity in the middle of the courtroom for the suspects. For the press, a special section was arranged, including a cafeteria and a restaurant. Members of the press will be able to enter the courtroom directly after passing through a single checkpoint, and there will be parking spaces for vehicles of the press inside the prison. The former courtroom, with an original capacity to accommodate 203 people, was enlarged to hold 405 people. Kalaman said after the end of the Ergenekon trial, the courtroom would be used as a sports hall again.
Ergenekon is an alleged gang that is accused of seeking to topple the government by creating unrest in the country. The case began with the discovery of 27 hand grenades in a shanty house in an Istanbul suburb in 2007. Other events such as the bombing of secular-leaning daily Cumhuriyet and the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink have been associated with Ergenekon. At the moment, hearings have been suspended until Aug. 3. Parallel hearings with regard to suspected retired generals will be held July 20.
Nizamettin Kalaman, the general director of prisons at the Justice Ministry, said Silivri Prison was suffering from overcrowding, just like all other prisons. "We cannot find room for suspects and convicts in Istanbul," he said. "A 20,000-capacity prison is not enough for a population of 14 million." Kalaman said the construction of two more buildings at Silivri was still incomplete because of a problem caused by the contractors.
753-person capacity
According to Kalaman, the sports hall in the Silivri prison complex is being prepared for use as the new location for the hearings in the Ergenekon case. The new courtroom can hold 753 people, including the suspects, lawyers, the audience and members of the press. There is a section with a 180-person capacity in the middle of the courtroom for the suspects. For the press, a special section was arranged, including a cafeteria and a restaurant. Members of the press will be able to enter the courtroom directly after passing through a single checkpoint, and there will be parking spaces for vehicles of the press inside the prison. The former courtroom, with an original capacity to accommodate 203 people, was enlarged to hold 405 people. Kalaman said after the end of the Ergenekon trial, the courtroom would be used as a sports hall again.