SUSURLUK

The Ankara 11^th High Criminal Court prosecutor demanded imprisonment of one year for the former Chief of Police Mehmet Ağar. Ağar allegedly aided Yaşar Öz who was convicted in the so-called Susurluk trial and Abdullah Çatlı who was killed in the accident that happened in Susurluk in western Turkey. Several occupants died in the accident that caused a major scandal in the country because it revealed connections between the Istanbul police, the neo-fascist Grey Wolves organisation and politicians.

In his final plea, the Public Prosecutor claimed that Ağar helped both Öz and Çatlı to obtain a gun license to avoid their arrest and prosecution. He said that the defendant provided both men with a green passport for an easy entry and exit of the country and assisted them in obtaining a gun licence.

Request for joint plaintiff status dismissed

In the hearing on Thursday (11 November), members of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) reiterated their request for a joint plaintiff status on behalf of relatives who lost a family member around the time of the incident. The lawyers submitted similar requests in each of the previous hearings. This time, they applied on behalf of Fatma Bahçeci and Şeyhmus Bahçeci who had lost their relative İsmail Bahçeci at the time. However, the court dismissed the request reasoning that the interveners had no connection to the subject of the trial.

ÇHD President Selçuk Kozağaçlı told bianet that the final speech of the prosecution even remained behind the evaluation and the sentences previously given by the Istanbul State Security Court for the defendants of the Susurluk case.

Kozağaçlı explained that the prosecutor referred to Article 314/1 of the former Criminal Law which could also be applied to "three youngsters who stole a chicken". According to the ÇHD President, Ağar should be punished under charges of "managing an illegal organization" since he was to held responsible for severe violations of human rights which particularly occurred in the first half of the 1990s.

"Who is responsible for a thousand operations?"

"It has been confirmed that this person had connections to İbrahim Şahin [former deputy chair of the Special Operations Office], Ayhan Çarkın [police officer] and Korkut Eken [defendant of the Susurluk trial]. He was part of a gang with a team formed during his time at the police directorate. We also said this gang should not only be tried for these crimes. We asked to prosecute them for extrajudicial killings, raids on homes and abductions in the light of police operations against the opposition of the gang. However, all our requests were rejected. Mehmet Ağar said that they had carried out a thousand operations. We will also file a thousand requests for joint plaintiff status until the end of this case", Kozağaçlı indicated.

A final decision on the case is expected for next hearing which is scheduled for 3 February 2011. (EÖ/VK