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SUZANNE GESKE 'CAN FORGIVE THE MURDERERS,' BUT TURKISH PEOPLE CANNOT
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 10 2014
GUNAY HİLAL AYGUN
After President Abdullah Gul ratified the recently passed law on
decreasing the maximum period for arrest during a trial to five years
from 10 years, a number of suspects in some controversial trials have
been released pending trial since Friday, sparking a public outrage.
Among them were Erhan Tuncel, who is charged with the 2007 killing
of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, and five other suspects
in the "Zirve trial," who are accused of murdering three Christian
missionaries by slitting their throats at a bookstore in the Malatya
province in 2007. On April 18, 2007, Necati Aydın, Uğur Yuksel and
German national Tilmann Ekkehart Geske were tied to their chairs,
stabbed and tortured at the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya before
having their throats cut. The publishing house they worked for
printed bibles and Christian literature. Four of the suspects were
apprehended at the scene and immediately taken into custody, while
another suspect, Emre Gunaydın, jumped from a third-storey window
in an attempt to escape from the police and was later captured after
being treated for injuries. A total of nine men have been charged in
connection with the murders.
Suspects Emre Gunaydın, Abuzer Yıldırım, Cuma Ozdemir, Hamit Ceker
and Salih Gurler have been jailed for seven years. However, the court
handling the case has been under harsh criticism for not reaching a
verdict for seven years and not being able to identify those behind
the brutal murder. Now the release of these five suspects has come as
a shock to many, especially Christians living in Turkey, who expressed
their concerns to the media following the ruling.
According to Hurriyet columnist Taha Akyol, the release of the Zirve
and Dink murder trial suspects has caused upset to many people. Akyol
pointed out that the recently passed amendment aimed at saving suspects
from years-long arrests before a court ruling is issued; however,
it has led to an unjust practice, allowing freedom for murderers who
tortured and killed people for being missionaries. Akyol regarded
the murders as bestial in terms of humanity and as a disgrace for
the country.
Akyol reminded his readers of the claims that there was a secret
organization behind the murder. Ret. Gen. Hurşit Tolon, a former
1st Army Corps commander, who is currently under arrest in the Zirve
trial, was claimed to have been heading a secret movement within the
General Staff and instigated this murder as part of a plan to show
the existence of xenophobia in the country, Akyol explained. Tolon
participated in a conference in Malatya, in which he slammed missionary
activities, and a secret witness in the case giving a testimony
accusing Tolon were considered as reason for doubts, Akyol wrote. He
added that the case file emerged with the Ergenekon coup trial and
was transferred to an İstanbul court, which led to the trial being
prolonged. Akyol quoted slain German missionary Tilman Geske's wife,
Suzanne, who is a mother of three, as saying: "We have been through
a lot of pain. Now the murderers will be free. I am afraid they can
hurt others, too, because they did not do their time. I can forgive
them because of my faith. But I think the public conscience is not
comfortable with that."
Milliyet columnist Mehveş Evin wrote in her Monday piece that the
Zirve trial has had secondary importance compared to the Ergenekon
and Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot trials and has been viewed as
an ordinary murder. However, the suspects had similar profiles to
those who killed other Christian figures such as Father Santoro, a
priest murdered in Trabzon in 2006, Evin said. She pointed out that
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has never commented on the Zirve
murder trial nor the massacre of three Christian citizens. Evin stated
that Erdoğan delivered a speech in Malatya, as part of his election
campaign, on the day on which the Zirve suspects were released.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/gunay-hilal-aygun_341688_suzanne-geske-can-forgive-the-murderers-but-turkish-people-cannot.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 10 2014
GUNAY HİLAL AYGUN
After President Abdullah Gul ratified the recently passed law on
decreasing the maximum period for arrest during a trial to five years
from 10 years, a number of suspects in some controversial trials have
been released pending trial since Friday, sparking a public outrage.
Among them were Erhan Tuncel, who is charged with the 2007 killing
of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, and five other suspects
in the "Zirve trial," who are accused of murdering three Christian
missionaries by slitting their throats at a bookstore in the Malatya
province in 2007. On April 18, 2007, Necati Aydın, Uğur Yuksel and
German national Tilmann Ekkehart Geske were tied to their chairs,
stabbed and tortured at the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya before
having their throats cut. The publishing house they worked for
printed bibles and Christian literature. Four of the suspects were
apprehended at the scene and immediately taken into custody, while
another suspect, Emre Gunaydın, jumped from a third-storey window
in an attempt to escape from the police and was later captured after
being treated for injuries. A total of nine men have been charged in
connection with the murders.
Suspects Emre Gunaydın, Abuzer Yıldırım, Cuma Ozdemir, Hamit Ceker
and Salih Gurler have been jailed for seven years. However, the court
handling the case has been under harsh criticism for not reaching a
verdict for seven years and not being able to identify those behind
the brutal murder. Now the release of these five suspects has come as
a shock to many, especially Christians living in Turkey, who expressed
their concerns to the media following the ruling.
According to Hurriyet columnist Taha Akyol, the release of the Zirve
and Dink murder trial suspects has caused upset to many people. Akyol
pointed out that the recently passed amendment aimed at saving suspects
from years-long arrests before a court ruling is issued; however,
it has led to an unjust practice, allowing freedom for murderers who
tortured and killed people for being missionaries. Akyol regarded
the murders as bestial in terms of humanity and as a disgrace for
the country.
Akyol reminded his readers of the claims that there was a secret
organization behind the murder. Ret. Gen. Hurşit Tolon, a former
1st Army Corps commander, who is currently under arrest in the Zirve
trial, was claimed to have been heading a secret movement within the
General Staff and instigated this murder as part of a plan to show
the existence of xenophobia in the country, Akyol explained. Tolon
participated in a conference in Malatya, in which he slammed missionary
activities, and a secret witness in the case giving a testimony
accusing Tolon were considered as reason for doubts, Akyol wrote. He
added that the case file emerged with the Ergenekon coup trial and
was transferred to an İstanbul court, which led to the trial being
prolonged. Akyol quoted slain German missionary Tilman Geske's wife,
Suzanne, who is a mother of three, as saying: "We have been through
a lot of pain. Now the murderers will be free. I am afraid they can
hurt others, too, because they did not do their time. I can forgive
them because of my faith. But I think the public conscience is not
comfortable with that."
Milliyet columnist Mehveş Evin wrote in her Monday piece that the
Zirve trial has had secondary importance compared to the Ergenekon
and Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot trials and has been viewed as
an ordinary murder. However, the suspects had similar profiles to
those who killed other Christian figures such as Father Santoro, a
priest murdered in Trabzon in 2006, Evin said. She pointed out that
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has never commented on the Zirve
murder trial nor the massacre of three Christian citizens. Evin stated
that Erdoğan delivered a speech in Malatya, as part of his election
campaign, on the day on which the Zirve suspects were released.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/gunay-hilal-aygun_341688_suzanne-geske-can-forgive-the-murderers-but-turkish-people-cannot.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress