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Number Of Detained Policemen Reaches 19 As Police Officers Surrender

28.01.2015 19:21

The number of police officers in detention has reached 19 in an İzmir-based operation launched on Tuesday after two police officers, whose detentions were ordered, turned themselves in on Wednesday.The Turkish police detained 17 police officers, including police chiefs, in dawn raids in 13 provinces as part of an İzmir-based operation on suspicion of illegally wiretapping politicians, civil servants and businessmen, in what is the latest move in a string of government-orchestrated operations against the police that have been ongoing since a graft scandal shook the government on Dec. 17 and 25, 2013. The raids were another round in President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's campaign against supporters of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen following the major corruption probes, which were launched against four then-ministers.Two police officers -- Talha Ülkümen and Taner Aydın -- went to an İzmir police station to surrender on Wednesday.Ülkümen spoke to the media, saying: "I was detained last

The number of police officers in detention has reached 19 in an İzmir-based operation launched on Tuesday after two police officers, whose detentions were ordered, turned themselves in on Wednesday.

The Turkish police detained 17 police officers, including police chiefs, in dawn raids in 13 provinces as part of an İzmir-based operation on suspicion of illegally wiretapping politicians, civil servants and businessmen, in what is the latest move in a string of government-orchestrated operations against the police that have been ongoing since a graft scandal shook the government on Dec. 17 and 25, 2013. The raids were another round in President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's campaign against supporters of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen following the major corruption probes, which were launched against four then-ministers.

Two police officers -- Talha Ülkümen and Taner Aydın -- went to an İzmir police station to surrender on Wednesday.

Ülkümen spoke to the media, saying: "I was detained last August in a government-ordered operation. I have worked in intelligence units for eight years. I stayed in prison for 40 days. I was then released pending trial. In my interrogation, I highlighted Turkey's massive problem with the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party]. These case files aim at suppressing those who love their country. Nothing has changed since the operation against the police five months ago."

He stated that policemen in Turkey's Southeast are forced to travel by armored vehicles for their safety. "Terrorists walk freely holding aloft their leader's [PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's] poster," Ülkümen said.


Mustafa Akyol, one of the lawyers representing Ülkümen and other detained police officers, claimed that the operation is aimed at concealing an order from Interior Minister Efkan Ala, who allegedly ordered the police departments not to launch any operations on the outlawed PKK. Akyol stated that pro-government media outlets had reported that Ülkümen was evading the detention order against him; however, the police officer voluntarily surrendered. Akyol also added that Ülkümen was pushed into the entrance of the station by another policeman when he went to surrender, though he had gone of his own will.

According to Akyol, in Tuesday's operation, 17 policemen, who were briefly detained last August, were detained once again. "Now this is unlawful, because they have been detained on the same charges that are currently being investigated in an ongoing case. The prosecutor should have prepared an additional indictment and submit it to the court for these new detentions," Akyol explained.

Those 17 policemen were interrogated. A group of retired policemen protested the detentions and some drivers honked in solidarity outside of the İzmir Police Department Counterterrorism Unit, where the detainees were being interrogated.

President Erdoğan has cast the Dec. 17 graft investigation, which led to the resignation of three ministers and the dismissal of a fourth, as a "coup attempt," and in response he had thousands of police officers, judges and prosecutors removed from their posts. Erdoğan accuses Gülen of setting up a "parallel state" within the Turkish administration, especially in the police departments, and trying to topple him, blaming his supporters within the police and the judiciary for the Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 corruption inquiries.

Early morning police raids on Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 resulted in the detention of the sons of three now-former ministers, a state bank manager, a mayor and high-profile businessmen with close ties to the government. Among the businessmen was Reza Zarrab, an Iranian living in Turkey. Zarrab was accused of managing a network used to launder at least 87 billion euros to circumvent international sanctions against Iran. In addition, he allegedly bribed ministers, their sons and public officials to keep his network working. According to prosecutors' findings, Zarrab had allegedly distributed TL 139 million in bribes. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)

SHOTLIST
TURKEY, IZMIR, 28 JAN 2015

VAR of the police department building
Police officers and security precautions
VAR of police officer Talha Ülkümen speak before he gives himself in
VAR of crowd shouting slogans to support detained policemen

DURATION: 02:45



 
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