All quiet on the justice front

The Office of the Public Prosecutor has asked for life sentences for the 13 soldiers who intercepted the TIR trucks in the southern province Adana, reported to be trucks belonging to the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). Their crime is “espionage.”

The Office of the Public Prosecutor issued this statement: “A public case has been opened in Adana’s 7th High Criminal Court, asking for 15 to 20 years of imprisonment for charges of obtaining state information, meant to be confidential, for the aim of political or military spying, and asking life imprisonment on charges of disclosing ‘state information – meant to be secret- for the aim of political or military spying.’” 

Thus, we have so learned that the poor soldiers whose only guilt was to do their compulsory military service at the Adana Gendarmerie Regiment Command and who have followed orders have been involved in “espionage.”

Every Turkish male cannot finish telling stories concerning his military service; obviously, these privates will have endless stories to tell.

In this profession called “espionage,” any information you have obtained should be handed over or sold to a third party who would benefit from this.

However, we cannot understand that from the statement of the Office of the Public Prosecutor. We do not know to whom this information has been given or sold.

I do not guess the Office of the Prosecutor knows or can prove this because if they had any information whatsoever they would have stated that in their sentence.

For example, such a sentence as, “The defendants sold the secret information they obtained to the agents of such and such state.”

There is no such thing, but there is the charge of spying. 

Why is that so, if you ask, the reason is obvious: “Because the prime minister thinks this is espionage.”
In such a case, the Office of the Public Prosecutor is concerning itself and opens the case from spying, asking for life sentences for defendants

It was like this also in the “old” Turkey; it has been like this when the “parallel structure” was dominating the justice; now in “new” Turkey, it is again this way.

It is, always and always, all quiet on the justice front.

It is not quite a common practice in our country to set out from evidence, support the charges with concrete evidence and write the indictment accordingly.

Accepting indictments written with imaginary accusations to start a case is the eternal disease of our justice system, and it looks as if it will last forever.

I want to see that paper!

Former Cabinet Minister Zafer Çağlayan was waving a paper in his hand when he took the floor in the debate at the Parliament. You know the subject: It was about the watch taken from Reza Zarrab, the watch we do not know who paid for and whether or not its customs tax has been paid.

None of us saw what was written on that paper. But while Çağlayan was waving the paper, he was saying he had paid for the watch, he has the guaranty warrant of the watch in his name. We later learned that the guarantee cannot be on one person and that Çağlayan was not telling the truth.

From that day on, I have been curious as to what was written on that paper. I asked him to send me the documents and I would publish them here in this column. Please, I’m so curious. What was written on that paper? Is it a state secret that nobody can see it?

Come on Mr. Çağlayan, I am as far away from you as a fax machine, send it through!