Journalist Ertuğrul Özkök gave his statement to the prosecution as a "victim" related to voice records that emerged in a search of Hanefi Avcı's office. Avcı, former Eskişehir Chief of Police, was recently arrested in the scope of the investigation into the "Revolutionary Headquarters" terrorist organization.

Özkök gave a one-hour statement to Special Authority Prosecutor Kadir Altınışık at the Istanbul Courthouse in Beşiktaş on Thursday (14 October). He said that he was shown four or five voice recordings of his.

Özkök filed a criminal complaint against Avcı. He explained, "I complain about illegal wiretapping and keeping records related to my private life".

"I do not know who recorded and kept the material. I struggled with illegal wiretapping my whole life. Thus I request to find the person who took the records and who kept them", Özkök remarked.

Öztürk indicated that he has never seen Avcı, talked to him on the phone or met him somewhere. He said that only after Avcı's book had been published he called a friend and asked what kind of person he was.

"All levels of state eavesdropped on me"

Öztürk answered the journalists' questions when he left the courthouse:

* All institutions eavesdropped: I understood that all levels of the state were eavesdropping on me because of my work as the general publications director at the Hürriyet newspaper. I was wiretapped by MİT (National Intelligence Agency), the General Staff and also the intelligence. May they listen, I do not object a legal tapping. I complain about illegal wiretapping and keeping records related to private life".

* Victim of 28 February: Everybody knows that I supported the events around 28 February 1997 [when the military forced the coalition government to step back]. It seems that I became a victim of 28 February myself because the eavesdropping occurred at the time around 28 February.

* Comparison with group sex: The media people should know that they are being wiretapped, everybody is being eavesdropped. They say, 'May they listen, I have nothing to hide'. Some people tell their spouse 'I love you'. It is a private talk with your spouse. You might say, 'I want you'. You think you are flirting with your spouse. But in fact you are having group sex. Five other people are listening.

Özkök was asked whether the Hürriyet newspaper switch board had been wiretapped. He replied, "Certainly. In 19997/98, these phone records regarding us stem from the same source, I think. At the time it was said that Hürriyet was eavesdropped from within, but we could not figure that out". (BB/VK)

Sources: Sabah, Vatan, Star newspapers and websites.