General Staff Colonel Çiçek Protests Detention with Hunger Strike

The Istanbul 13^th High Criminal Court trying the case related to the "Action Plan against Reactionary Forces" released Ufuk Akkaya, Intelligence Chief of the National Channel, pending trial.

Akkaya was detained together with Deniz Yıldırım from the Aydınlık magazine on 9 November 2009 because they had reported about illegally recorded telephone conversations between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the former President of Northern Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat, in 2004. Akkaya appeared at court for the first time on 28 June 2010 ten months after his arrest.

Akkaya released pending trial

In the evening of 31 August, the court decided for Akkaya's release pending trial considering the "probability of changing the quality of crime" and the "situation of evidence in the file". Akkaya is not allowed to leave the country. He was kept in the Silivri Prison west of Istanbul. Akkaya put forward that he became subject of a conspiracy.

Akkaya said that he would commit himself to the release of journalists who are detained under the same conditions such as the former Cumhuriyet newspaper Ankara correspondent Mustafa Balbay, journalist Tuncay Özkan and Aydınlık magazine writer Emcet Olcayto.

Colonel Çiçek started hunger strike

Colonel Dursun Çiçek announced to have gone on a hunger strike after the request for his release was dismissed in the 11^th hearing of the trial. Çiçek is facing a 15-year prison sentence. "I will not stop fasting until the murder of law will be ended", he said.

In a note forwarded to Çiçek's daughter İrem Çiçek by his lawyer, he wrote: "I will not break my fast until the end of this defamation, this extrajudicial punishment and captivity, until a decision will have been taken according to the law and conscience, until law and justice will have returned and ended this murder of the law". His daughter was in tears when she read the message.

"Bomber" Tekin Irşi released

On 28 August, the 156^th hearing of the Ergenekon case was held. Detained defendant Tekin Irşı was released pending trial. He had been detained under allegations of throwing a hand grenade into the garden of the Cumhuriyet newspaper building without removing the pin beforehand in 2006. The decision considered the "probability of changing the quality of crime" and the "duration of detention".

Public prosecutor Mehmet Ali Pekgüzel requested to hear the former Eskişehir Chief of Police, Hanefi Avcı, as a witness, who has recently published a book. However, after hearing the statements of the defendants, the court decided to have the State Council evaluate whether Avcı should be heard. (EÖ/VK)