18 police members released in Mersin’s illegal wiretapping investigation

MERSİN – Anadolu Agency

Some 18 police officers, who were detained on Oct. 28 in an investigation into the illegal wiretapping of 123 people in Mersin, were released on the condition of legal control on Oct. 31. DHA Photo

Some 18 police officers, who were detained on Oct. 28 in an investigation into the illegal wiretapping of 123 people in the Mediterranean Turkish province of Mersin, were released on the condition of legal control on Oct. 31.

The former heads of the Mersin Police Department’s Ali Çengelci and Ali İhsan Kaya were among the 18 people who were released on the condition of legal control, after being detained over allegations to have wiretapped the city’s former governor, deputy governor, as well as several politicians, businessmen and other officials from the security department.

The police officers reportedly wiretapped the 123 people in order to determine those who were taking part in actions of organized crime groups, to unveil those who had links with the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), considered the urban wing of the PKK, and the “Selefi Vehhabi” group, all of which are illegal and considered terrorist organizations.

Mersin’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had issued a warrant for 27 people for illegal wiretapping. While nine of these 27 people were released after their interrogation at the police’s office, the others were transferred to the courthouse, from where they were released on the condition of legal control.

Dozens of police officers have been arrested in waves of operations conducted over recent months. The operations are aimed at cracking down on what the government describes as a “parallel state” within the security forces, allegedly loyal to U.S.-based scholar Fethullah Gülen.