A voice recording involving Tuncay Güney's interrogation by torture sent to Istanbul 13th High Criminal court by the National Intelligence Service (MİT) has provoked reaction. The recording reveals that the interrogators persistently asked the names of two journalists to Güney and forced him to give condemning evidence about them.
Güney was forced to name Hurriyet daily columnists Enis Berberoğlu and Bekir Çoşkun as accomplices to the Ergenekon organization, which allegedly aimed at overthrowing the government.
Hurriyet's Ankara correspondent Berberoğlu condemned the incident as "either bad intentions or ignorance on the police's side."
"Times when testimonies taken under torture were regarded as evidence are long passed. Whatever Güney might have said, the police should have disregarded unfounded allegations."
"I was shocked," said Coşkun "we were targeted by trusted organizations from our back. My trust in the police, the prosecution and in MİT is diminished. I have no clue why they would try to get my name into this mess."
Evidently, MİT had the recording since 2002 and never revealed it.
Both Turkey's Journalists' Society (TGC) and the Contemporary Journalists' Association (ÇGD) condemned the incident. They demanded an inquiry by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.(EÖ/AGÜ)