Ergenekon investigation

Contemporary Jurists Association argues that as long as the political, economic and social system stays intact, what is uncovered in Ergenekon will repeat itself.

In Ergenekon investigation, Istanbul’s 13th High Criminal Court rejected prosecutor’s demand that those eight people who were released a few days ago should be arrested back.

The court released “Cumhuriyet”s Ankara representative Balbay. He declined to comment about the incident, saying that the judiciary process was still not completed. Authorities are still questioning retired generals Tolon and Eruygur.

The police send those detainees whose interrogations are completed to the court. Among them are Aygün and Balbay. Some are released.

The indictment of the year long Ergenekon investigation will be delayed. Although previously the major cause of the delay was the technical problems, now it is also the new detentions.

One of the lawyers in the case revealed that the hand grenades that started the whole operation and are the principal evidence in the case were destroyed by İstanbul’s 10th High Criminal Court.

The head of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey evaluates the recent Ergenekon investigation and concludes that there is no reason to be overly optimistic and claim that this operation will result in Turkey’s democratization.

In the Ergenekon investigation, former Gendarmerie Commander Eruygur, one of the key suspects in the case refuse the talk, as “Cumhuriyet”s Ankara representative journalist Balbay. The authorities are still searching for Çömez, another key figure in the investigation.

The media organizations say they respect judiciary’s decisions, but are afraid that the investigation is turning into a political struggle between the opposing parties.

Gen. Başbuğ says that the interpretations that connect his meeting with the Prime Minister to the latest detentions in the Ergenekon case are nothing but conspiracy theories.

With 2500 pages the indictment is the longest he has ever read, said the Chief Prosecutor of Istanbul. Once the case starts, it will no more be secret, except the latest investigations.

Police took twenty one people into custody in connection with the Ergenekon investigation. The Prime Minister said that the detentions were to complete the indictment. The timing of the operations creates suspicion.

Zihni Çakır, the author of books about secret operations within the state and the coups, is detained in Ankara for acquiring secret state documents.

As the Constitutional Court rapporteur has left the decision whether to close the AKP to the court, political parties have refused to listen to calls for reconciliation by the businessworld and workers’ organisations.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin has released a written statement saying that the investigation into the Ergenekon gang is unrelated to any other current trials.