CHP deputy decries wire-tapping ‘gang’

ANKARA

CHP deputy group chairwoman Emine Ülker Tarhan speaks in Parliament . AA photo

A shadowy group equipped with high-tech devices is systematically wiretapping and secretly filming government opponents, a senior deputy in the main opposition has said.

“That’s not the work of an ordinary gang. I wonder who has assigned that great number of people to conduct those pursuits and conduct wiretaps. Who is paying their salaries and whom do they answer to? How did they buy those expensive devices and where do they hide them?” CHP deputy group chairwoman Emine Ülker Tarhan told a press conference at the weekend.

“It’s obvious that those who are responsible for investigating all these things are not taking action because they are partners in crime,” she said, noting the role of pro-government media in the leaking of the tapes.

Tarhan called a press conference to present her concerns after an audio tape dating back to the days when she was the head of the anti-government Judges and Prosecutors Union (YARSAV) was posted on the Internet last week. She appears to say “people who will be YARSAV militants are needed.”
Tarhan said “even the breath I was taking during television interviews was taped and taken to a minister” in the run-up to last year’s referendum on a package of constitutional amendments, which critics say was designed to place the judiciary under government control.

“I’ve never lost my militant spirit. I am a militant of judicial independence and democracy,” she said.