Hürriyet editor-in-chief testifies as plaintiff in wiretapping case

ANKARA

Daily Hürriyet editor-in-chief Sedat Ergin testified on Feb. 27 as a plaintiff in Ankara in a case involving the illegal wiretapping of politicians, police officers, judicial officers, civil servants, and journalists, including himself.

Ergin’s phone calls were reportedly wiretapped starting from 2008, due to a court order issued by the 11th High Criminal Court. However, the court order did not include Ergin’s name, instead claiming that the number was used by a member of the outlawed Islamic Great East Raiders Front (IBDA-C), an Islamist organization.

The IMEI number, which identifies every device, of Ergin’s telephone was also included in the court order.

Mesut Öztürk, the judge of the Ankara 7th High Criminal Court, also testified as a plaintiff on Feb. 27.

Öztürk told Anadolu Agency that his phone was wiretapped, after it was linked by the court to a terror organization, but he declined to comment further as the inspection is still continuing.