Prosecutor prepares indictment for CHP lawmaker over FETÖ links
ISTANBUL
HÜRRİYET photo
An Istanbul prosecutor has prepared an indictment for a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) over suspected links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and “obtaining state secrets for the purposes of political or military spying.”
The indictment was prepared for CHP Istanbul deputy Enis Berberoğlu for giving former daily Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar footage of Turkish intelligence trucks allegedly bound for Syria with hidden weapons in early 2014.
Berberoğlu will be put on trial with the prosecutor seeking a prison sentence of between eight and 18 years if the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court accepts the indictment.
Dündar and Cumhuriyet Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül faced trial for “leaking state secrets” due to stories they published about the trucks. They were arrested on Nov. 26, 2015, and released on Feb. 26 following a Constitutional Court ruling.
An Istanbul court later sentenced Dündar and Gül to five years in prison for “leaking state secrets” on May 6.
Dündar, in his book that he wrote after he was released, said that “a leftist lawmaker” brought him the footage on May 27, 2014. The prosecutor’s office then examined Dündar’s phone records and determined that he talked to Berberoğlu on the date that he wrote in his book.
The prosecutor’s office then sent the summary of proceedings to the Justice Ministry due to Berberoğlu being a lawmaker and his immunity was lifted, followed by the preparation of the indictment.
Meanwhile, Dündar said he was planning to move abroad, fearing new charges intended to link him to the July 15 failed coup attempt.
Dündar said in a telephone interview with Reuters that a case was being readied against him for “aiding and abetting” the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, believed to be behind the attempted seizure of power.
“There is a good chance I will be detained and little chance I’ll get out because no higher court can protect our rights,” said Dündar. “My choice is prison or staying abroad. Under these conditions, I could no longer manage the newspaper.”
Dündar, who had left the country before the failed coup attempt in July on holiday, declined to say where he was now.
“I will be prosecuted for helping, with our coverage, the organization accused of the coup,” said Dündar, who denied links to the Gülen movement.
Dündar said he saw irony in accusations he had helped the Gülen movement.
“I was the editor of a paper that spent years warning against the [Gülen] organization,” he said.
The indictment was prepared for CHP Istanbul deputy Enis Berberoğlu for giving former daily Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar footage of Turkish intelligence trucks allegedly bound for Syria with hidden weapons in early 2014.
Berberoğlu will be put on trial with the prosecutor seeking a prison sentence of between eight and 18 years if the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court accepts the indictment.
Dündar and Cumhuriyet Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül faced trial for “leaking state secrets” due to stories they published about the trucks. They were arrested on Nov. 26, 2015, and released on Feb. 26 following a Constitutional Court ruling.
An Istanbul court later sentenced Dündar and Gül to five years in prison for “leaking state secrets” on May 6.
Dündar, in his book that he wrote after he was released, said that “a leftist lawmaker” brought him the footage on May 27, 2014. The prosecutor’s office then examined Dündar’s phone records and determined that he talked to Berberoğlu on the date that he wrote in his book.
The prosecutor’s office then sent the summary of proceedings to the Justice Ministry due to Berberoğlu being a lawmaker and his immunity was lifted, followed by the preparation of the indictment.
Meanwhile, Dündar said he was planning to move abroad, fearing new charges intended to link him to the July 15 failed coup attempt.
Dündar said in a telephone interview with Reuters that a case was being readied against him for “aiding and abetting” the movement of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, believed to be behind the attempted seizure of power.
“There is a good chance I will be detained and little chance I’ll get out because no higher court can protect our rights,” said Dündar. “My choice is prison or staying abroad. Under these conditions, I could no longer manage the newspaper.”
Dündar, who had left the country before the failed coup attempt in July on holiday, declined to say where he was now.
“I will be prosecuted for helping, with our coverage, the organization accused of the coup,” said Dündar, who denied links to the Gülen movement.
Dündar said he saw irony in accusations he had helped the Gülen movement.
“I was the editor of a paper that spent years warning against the [Gülen] organization,” he said.
