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Eleven police officers who had been detained earlier this week as part of a widening operation against the police force were arrested pending trial on Friday, while family members of dozens of affected policemen held a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court building in the hope that their voices would be heard by members of the top court.
Also on Friday, 21 policemen who had also been taken into custody were set free by an İzmir court.
On Aug. 19, 32 police officers were detained in a number of provinces across Turkey, including İzmir, on accusations of illegal wiretapping. Most of the officers were involved in a tender-rigging investigation in İzmir as well as an investigation into an espionage ring which allegedly contained members of the military.
The 11 officers were arrested by a penal judge of peace and were sent to Buca Prison, where they will stay until they stand trial. The 21 policemen were released pending trial.
Lawyer Ali Aksoy told reporters that his clients will appeal against the arrests. He also said the officers were arrested unlawfully and that they had not carried out illegal wiretaps. According to the lawyer, the wiretaps were carried out as per orders by prosecutors and judges.
Following the arrests, family members of dozens of police officers taken into custody or arrested since the very beginning of anti-police operations on July 22 called a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court in Ankara. Lawyers representing the families have also filed petitions with the top court about the violations of the fundamental rights of their clients.
Zeliha Özlem Açıkgöz, the wife of former Police Chief Osman Özgür Açıkgöz, spoke on behalf of the group. Recalling that her husband had been arrested after the July 22 operation in İstanbul, Açıkgöz said she believes that Constitutional Court members will hear their voice and that justice will be done for the police officers.
“We are now at a point where everything is nearing the end. We have nothing else to do. We are here to seek justice for our husbands, brothers and sons. We trust the Constitutional Court. We trust [Constitutional Court President] Haşim Kılıç. We believe that the court will not send us from here with our hands empty. We believe that the justice system will work and justice will be done,” she said.
In addition, the mother of one of the arrested officers said the “officers will go down in history with unblemished reputations.”
‘Arrests based on news reports unlawful'
Lawyer İsmail Hakkı Küçük complained that the officers were arrested based on some news reports. “The investigation, detention and arrest of the police officers are unlawful. This is not solely my opinion. Many lawyers think the same,” he noted.
The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Aug. 19 -- shortly after the detention of the 32 policemen -- that the detentions were based on news reports of claims of illegal wiretapping that appeared in pro-government media.
“A news report that appeared in a national newspaper on March 18 suggested that the phone conversations of many public servants had been illegally wiretapped. Sixty-two public servants have so far filed criminal complaints at the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and İzmir Police Department and an investigation has been launched as a result of the complaints [against officers who are suspected of illegal wiretapping],” the prosecutor's office stated.
The prosecutor's office was referring to a news report published by the pro-government Sabah daily. According to the report, police officers affiliated with the “parallel structure” illegally wiretapped the phone conversations of 148,000 people in 30 provinces. Those wiretapped were mostly members of the police force and the judiciary, according to Sabah.
The daily, however, did not provide any proof of the accuracy of its report.
The “parallel structure” is a veiled reference by some government officials, including the prime minister, to the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
According to lawyer Küçük, the police officers were not allowed to defend themselves against accusations under favorable conditions. “The room they were taken for a testimony was as hot as 40 degrees. Air conditioners were not working. All windows and the door were closed. This is not humane. Some people [officers] and their lawyers felt sick due to the stifling heat,” noted the lawyer.
One police officer who was released told the media on Friday that he, along with the other officers, had not done anything to be ashamed of. “Our heads are up. And we are all clean [innocent],” he stated. The released officers were met by cheering relatives in front of the court. “Turkey is proud of you” and “The police officers are here; where are thieves?” chanted the crowd.
With Friday's arrests, the number of officers arrested as part of a government-backed campaign against the police force since July 22, when the anti-police operations began, rose to 55.
On July 22, 115 police officers were detained on allegations of wiretapping Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other officials. Thirty-six of the officers were eventually arrested pending trial.
The arrested officers had been involved in the Dec. 17 anti-corruption operation, as well as the Balyoz (Sledgehammer), Ergenekon, Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and Tawhid-Salam investigations. Tawhid-Salam is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization.
Prosecutors say the operations were launched after allegations of spying and illegal wiretapping, but they are widely believed to be an act of government revenge for the Dec. 17 corruption and bribery operation and are seen as targeting the faith-based Hizmet movement. Erdoğan accuses the movement of being behind a plot to oust him. The movement denies the accusation.
(Cihan/Today's Zaman)
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