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BOOK REVEALS FORMER COMMANDER'S ALLEGED ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES
Today's Zaman
June 12 2012
Turkey
A new book reveals that Mehmet Ulger, who served as the Malatya
Provincial Gendarmerie Brigade commander in 2007, had allegedly
wiretapped many public officials in Malatya based on false reasons
given in official documents.
Ulger, who was arrested last year when a major operation was carried
out as part of the Ergenekon probe on suspected links with the 2007
Zirve Publishing House murders in Malatya in which three people who
sold Christian literature were killed, was allegedly instrumental
in creating false documents to have many people wiretapped in the
province.
One of those was noncommissioned officer Huseyin Aslanpencesi, who
was wiretapped on the basis that he was smuggling historical artifacts.
And Pator Behnan Konutgan, who was allegedly on the list of Christians
to be assassinated, was wiretapped on the basis that he belonged to
radical religious groups. Gokhan Talas, a Christian who called the
police when no one answered the door at the Zirve Publishing House
on the day of the murder on April 18, 2007, was also wiretapped on
the basis of belonging to radical religious groups.
Huseyin Yelki, who was working at the publishing house, was also
wiretapped on the same grounds. In addition, Suzanna Geske, the wife
of German national Tilmann Ekkehart Geske, who was killed at the
publishing house, was also wiretapped on the same grounds.
Ulger also fabricated documents to have Malatya prosecutors and judges
wiretapped on the basis that they belonged to the terrorist Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) or Hizbullah. Ulger allegedly blackmailed some
of these prosecutors.
These details were revealed by journalist Adem Yavuz Arslan in his
book, "Ergenekon'un Zirvesi: Dink'ten Malatya'ya Azınlıklar Nasıl
Hedef Oldu?" (Ergenekon's Peak: How were minorities targeted from
Dink to Malatya?).
Another detail emerging from the book is that chief suspect Emre
Gunaydın's father, Mustafa Gunaydın, might have been involved in the
planning of the murders as he called the Malatya gendarmerie from
his phone prior to the murders.
In May 2008, a letter sent by an individual identified as Ali Arslan
to the Malatya 3rd High Criminal Court, currently hearing the 2007
murder case, claimed that Emre Gunaydın was provoked by Ulger.
The case, related to Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal network charged
with plotting to topple the government by creating large-scale chaos
in the country, is ongoing.
The Malatya murders are thought to be part of the Cage Action Plan,
a subversive plot allegedly devised by military officers that sought
to undermine the government through the assassination of non-Muslims
and other acts of terror. The Cage plan was allegedly drawn up
at the order of Ergenekon. Cage plan documents specifically call
the killings of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, Catholic
priest Father Andrea Santoro and the three Christians in Malatya an
"operation." An anti-democratic group within the Naval Forces Command
behind the Cage plan had intended to foment chaos in society with
those killings, but complained that the plan had failed when large
segments of society protested the killings in mass demonstrations.
Today's Zaman
June 12 2012
Turkey
A new book reveals that Mehmet Ulger, who served as the Malatya
Provincial Gendarmerie Brigade commander in 2007, had allegedly
wiretapped many public officials in Malatya based on false reasons
given in official documents.
Ulger, who was arrested last year when a major operation was carried
out as part of the Ergenekon probe on suspected links with the 2007
Zirve Publishing House murders in Malatya in which three people who
sold Christian literature were killed, was allegedly instrumental
in creating false documents to have many people wiretapped in the
province.
One of those was noncommissioned officer Huseyin Aslanpencesi, who
was wiretapped on the basis that he was smuggling historical artifacts.
And Pator Behnan Konutgan, who was allegedly on the list of Christians
to be assassinated, was wiretapped on the basis that he belonged to
radical religious groups. Gokhan Talas, a Christian who called the
police when no one answered the door at the Zirve Publishing House
on the day of the murder on April 18, 2007, was also wiretapped on
the basis of belonging to radical religious groups.
Huseyin Yelki, who was working at the publishing house, was also
wiretapped on the same grounds. In addition, Suzanna Geske, the wife
of German national Tilmann Ekkehart Geske, who was killed at the
publishing house, was also wiretapped on the same grounds.
Ulger also fabricated documents to have Malatya prosecutors and judges
wiretapped on the basis that they belonged to the terrorist Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) or Hizbullah. Ulger allegedly blackmailed some
of these prosecutors.
These details were revealed by journalist Adem Yavuz Arslan in his
book, "Ergenekon'un Zirvesi: Dink'ten Malatya'ya Azınlıklar Nasıl
Hedef Oldu?" (Ergenekon's Peak: How were minorities targeted from
Dink to Malatya?).
Another detail emerging from the book is that chief suspect Emre
Gunaydın's father, Mustafa Gunaydın, might have been involved in the
planning of the murders as he called the Malatya gendarmerie from
his phone prior to the murders.
In May 2008, a letter sent by an individual identified as Ali Arslan
to the Malatya 3rd High Criminal Court, currently hearing the 2007
murder case, claimed that Emre Gunaydın was provoked by Ulger.
The case, related to Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal network charged
with plotting to topple the government by creating large-scale chaos
in the country, is ongoing.
The Malatya murders are thought to be part of the Cage Action Plan,
a subversive plot allegedly devised by military officers that sought
to undermine the government through the assassination of non-Muslims
and other acts of terror. The Cage plan was allegedly drawn up
at the order of Ergenekon. Cage plan documents specifically call
the killings of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, Catholic
priest Father Andrea Santoro and the three Christians in Malatya an
"operation." An anti-democratic group within the Naval Forces Command
behind the Cage plan had intended to foment chaos in society with
those killings, but complained that the plan had failed when large
segments of society protested the killings in mass demonstrations.