Prosecutor demands 50 years for former police intelligence chief

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Former Turkish police intelligence chief Hanefi Avcı. DHA photo

A prosecutor has demanded a sentence of up to 50 years in prison for a former Turkish police intelligence chief in the ongoing Revolutionary Headquarters probe, Doğan News Agency has reported.

Hanefi Avcı is one of the 89 suspects in the case, seven of whom are currently under arrest.

Avcı is being held in Istanbul’s Silivri Prison, in connection with the OdaTV trials and the probe into the Revolutionary Headquarters, an armed and outlawed left-wing organization. He was also arrested on the charge of violating the secrecy of an investigation, following the publication of his book, “Haliç’te Yaşayan Simonlar: Dün Devlet Bugün Cemaat” (Devoted Residents of the Haliç: Yesterday State, Today Religious Community), which alleges that the religious Gülen community has covertly taken control of the state, even though Avcı himself was earlier known to have been close to the community.