Anonymous Witness in Ergenekon Case Found Dead in Home

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Ümit Sayın, a forensics professor who was a defendant and an anonymous witness in the Ergenekon case, has been found dead in his home in İstanbul.

275 people, including high-ranking military officers and journalists, had been charged with "attempted overthrow of the government" in the 11-year-long case.

Chemical substances found in the house are being examined as authorities are working to find the cause of death, Habertürk reported. No wounds or cuts have been found on Sayın's body.

Sayın was detained in the Ergenekon case in 2008 and released in 2010. Later it was revealed that he was taken under a witness protection program as an "anonymous witness" nicknamed "Anadolu." He was sentenced to 4 years and 22 days in prison in the case in 2013.

Sayın (59) was an Associate Professor at İstanbul University Institute of Forensic Sciences.

What is the Ergenekon case?

An investigation was launched into the "Ergenekon Terrorist Organization" in 2007 after 27 hand grenades were found during a police raid in a makeshift home in İstanbul.

The first of the 19 indictments of the case was accepted in July 2008. The prosecutors alleged that "Ergenekon" attempted to "overthrow the government by force" and "provoke people into an armed insurgency against the government."

There were 275 defendants in the case, including active and retired military officers, civil society figures, politicians, and journalists.

The armed attack on judges at the Council of State and the bomb attack on Cumhuriyet newspaper in 2006 were attributed to the "Ergenekon."

İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court announced its verdict in June 2013, sentencing 17 defendants, including former Chief of the General Staff İlker Başbuğ, to life imprisonment or aggravated life imprisonment.

In April 2016, the Court of Cassation annulled the verdict on grounds of non-compliance with both procedural and substantive law.

It considered "not being able to submit concrete evidence to prove the Ergenekon Organization's existence", a reason to annul the decision on substantive grounds.

In July 2019, İstanbul 4th Heavy Penal Court, which heard the 235-defendants case again, ruled that an illegal organization could not be found and all defendants facing charges related to the "terrorist organization" shall be acquitted.

(EKN/VK)