PERSECUTION OF POLITICAL GROUPS

13 suspects of the "Revolutionary Headquarters" investigation detained in the Silivri Prison (west of Istanbul) will probably be transferred from Prison No. 4 to Prison No.1 for security reasons. Their lawyer, Gülüzar Tuncer, announced that he learned about the transfer from the news. Apparently, Tuncer did not receive an according notification.

Almost 10,000 people are being incarcerated in the Silivri Prison, among them defendants of several cases with broad public attention such as the "Ergenekon Trial" or the case against the "Revolutionary Headquarters organization". It was recently reported that many detainees and convicts are going to be transferred to the No.1 F Type Prison for "security" reasons.

In an interview with bianet, Tuncer demanded an explanation regarding the "security reasons" supposedly put forward in the application. "The security of whom? What is the purpose? Has there been any security problem until now? The officials have to be asked these questions", Tuncer claimed.

Tuncer emphasized that the 13 members of the Socialist Democracy Party (SDP) and the Platform for Social Freedom (TÖP) would be affected of the transfer as well as journalists Tuncay Özcan and Mustafa Balbay, Retired Brigadier General Veli Küçük, former Chief of Police Hanefi Avcı and Doğu Petinçek, leader of the Workers Party (İP). If the defendants are being transferred to the F type prison, they will be taken to prison cell designed for three people.

Among the people arrested on 21 September 2010 are SDP Chair Rıdvan Turan, TÖP spokesmen Oguzhan Kayserilioğlu and Tuncay Yılmaz, SDP Deputy Chairs Günay Kubilay and Ecevit Piroğlu, Steering Board Member Ulaş Bayraktaroğlu, SDP members Özgür Cafer Kalafat and İbrahim Turgut and TÖP member Semih Aydın.

Prof. Kansız arrested

At the same time, Prof. Erhan Kansız was arrested on Tuesday (11 January) in the scope of an investigation regarding the missing health report for Prof. Mehmet Haberal, founder of the Başkent Hospital and owner of the Başkent University. Haberal is a detained defendant of the "Ergenekon" trial. He has been in hospital until the present day due to his health problems. Kansız apparently failed to send an according health report to court.

Kansız, Head of the Istanbul University Cardiology Department, went to the Istanbul Courthouse and saw prosecutor Fikret Seçen who is in charge of the Ergenekon trial. Kansız had previously given his statement as a supposed suspect and was released pursuantly. He was now once more interrogated by Seçen.

Kansız was taken to court with the demand to arrest him under allegations of "assisting and accommodating members of an illegal organization". He was arrested and brought to prison in the evening of 11 January.

Ergenekon

The clandestine ultra-national Ergenekon organisation nested within the state and the military is alleged to have planned to create chaos in the country with murders and attacks with the aim to overthrow the government.

Revolutionary Headquarters

The illegal "Revolutionary Headquarters" organizaiton assumed responsibility for an explosion at the Istanbul building of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on 1 December 2008 which left ten people injured. In the course of a police operation against the terror organization carried out on 27 April 2009, a police officer, a bystander and alleged terrorist Orhan Yılmazkaya, member of the Revolutionary Headquarters Organisation, were killed. Following the operation, 17 people were arrested on the grounds of supposed connections to the organization, among them journalists Aylin Duruoğlu and Mehmet Yeşiltepe. (EÖ/VK)