Lawyer Orhan Kemal Cengiz announced that the operation in nine different provinces related to the Zirve Publishing House massacre carried out on last Thursday (17 March) had been long overdue. Last week's searches were based on alleged connections of the Zirve massacre with the Ergekon trial, a case on an alleged plot to overthrow the Justice and Development government.

Former Malatya Gendarmerie Regiment Commander ret. Colonel Mehmet Dülger and Ruhi Babat, member of the teaching staff at the Inönü University, were among a total of 20 people taken into custody in the context of the operations. Lawyer Cengiz declared that the recent procedures were an "important and positive development" in terms of requests previously made to the Malatya 3^rd High Criminal Court where the Zivre case is still pending.

"The murders could have been solved by now"

Cengiz, plaintiff lawyer of the Zirve massacre trial, told bianet, "A denunciation letter from 2008 included certain names and telephone numbers. If these connections would have been taken seriously and investigated back then, the murders would have been solved".

Cengiz said that the case of the Zirve Publishing House massacre would help to solve the murders of Priest Andrea Santoro and Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and would also bring light into the Ergenekon investigation.

"A merger of both cases would shed light on Ergenekon"

Lawyer Cengiz drew attention to a 'witch hunt' on missionaries in Turkey since 2004. "A merger of the Zirve Massacre trial and Ergenekon would bring justice", he claimed.

The operation was carried out in Malatya (south-eastern Turkey), Siirt (south-east), Muğla (south-west), Izmir,Ankara and another four provinces on 17 March. Also the house of lecturer Ruhi Abat was being searched. He is alleged to have held anti-missionary conferences in Malatya and Kayseri.

On 18 April 2007, Necati Aydın, Uğur Yüksel and German national Tilman Ekkehart Geske were killed at the Zirve Publishing House. Five detained defendants are being tried in relation to the massacre at the Zirve Publishing Company before the Malatya 3^rd High Criminal Court. (NV/EÖ/VK)