Call me a former terrorist: Sakık

ISTANBUL - Doğan News Agency

Sakık says he wants to enlist in the military after he is released. Hürriyet photo

On day two of testifying in the ongoing Ergenekon trial, former top militant of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Şemdin Sakık yesterday replied to criticism over his testimony, adding that he was “not a terrorist anymore.”

Sakık revealed his identity as a secret witness in the ongoing Ergenekon trial during the first day of his testimony on Nov. 6. He had previously testified as a secret witness, known only as “Deniz.”

“While I am giving my testimony, I don’t have the title of terrorist. You can call me a former terrorist. You can say that my past is full of misdeeds, but you cannot claim that I am currently committing a crime. They succeeded in bringing Öcalan from Damascus thanks to my plan. I filed a petition to benefit from the repentance law. I gave the message that there was no need to go up to the mountains [to search] for me. The people who were acting with me in the organization did not surrender since they were afraid. They quit the organization and moved to North Iraq or Germany,” Sakık said.

In the 256th hearing of the Ergenekon case held in Istanbul’s 13th Court for Serious Crimes, Sakık continued to supply his witness testimony in the secret witness room. Sakık’s visual and audio records were projected onto screens in the courtroom.

Sakık also said wanted to be enlist in the military after he was released from jail.

“All being well, I will be free in 15 years. Even though I have the chance of getting a certificate of disability for a discharge from performing paid military service I am thinking of enlisting in the military due to its symbolic importance. This army belongs to Turkey. By performing my military service, I will give the message ‘the army is yours, do your military service,’ to Kurdish youth,” Sakık said. During his witness testimony Sakık said he wanted to perform his military service after he was released from prison.

“If the Ergenekon, Balyoz [Sledgehammer] and KCK [Kurdistan Communities Union] cases did not exist, everywhere would be drenched in blood today. So I believe I made a useful contribution,” Sakık said.

“The one who was actually harmed by the 1993 incident was the army itself. Wanting to unveil that [incident] means serving the army, rather than harming it. [The army] lost its unarmed soldiers. They should have investigated the possible consequences of these when they were assigned. Army companionship requires that. But they concealed it. The reason why we are talking about these here is their attitude. They know everything, but conceal them. Since they conceal, some others unveil [the facts],” Sakık said, referring to the infamous killing of 33 unarmed soldiers by the PKK in Bingöl.