A Turkish judge supervising a controversial wiretapping probe into policemen has said he will issue a decision on the fate of policemen without hearing their defense. The decision will be announced on 9 p.m. local İstanbul time.
Judge İslam Çiçek of 3rd Criminal Court of Peace said in an interim decision on Tuesday that the interrogation of detained policemen have started on July 26 and that 32 suspects have been listened. He said it is impossible to hear the rest of the 17 suspects because the lawyers tried to "deadlock" the due process through what he said "unnecessary demands."
More than 100 police officers, including former senior police chiefs, were detained in an operation that began with pre-dawn raids on Tuesday. The operation, which prosecutors say was launched in response to allegations of spying and illegal wiretapping, is widely believed to be an act of revenge by the government against a corruption probe that became public on Dec. 17, 2013 with the detention of dozens of people, including businessmen close to the government, senior bureaucrats and the sons of three now-former ministers.
Most of the police officers detained were involved in the major graft operation of Dec. 17, as well as officers who carried out the Balyoz (Sledgehammer), Ergenekon, Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and Tawhid-Salam investigations. Tawhid-Salam is an Iran-backed terrorist organization.
When the judge said the suspects won't be able to present their defense, the lawyers protested the decision by leaving the courtroom.
Laywers are expected to issue a statement about the incident, claiming that their clients' basic right to fair trial was violated.
The arrested officers are accused of wiretapping ministers, deputies, members of the higher judiciary, academics, lawyers, representatives of political parties, district governors, police officers, gendarmerie officers, public servants, businessmen, artists, members of associations and foundations, and journalists through fabricated documents.(Cihan/Today's Zaman)
SHOTLIST TURKEY, ISTANBUL, 29 JULY 2014
VAR of the lawyers making press statements Press members VAR of the lawyer Turanlı reading the statement
DURATION: 07:09
|