Prison Ids Of Jailed Police Officers Listing 'Parallel Structure' Withdrawn

Officials at Silivri Prison, where dozens of police officers arrested as part of government-led anti-police operations have been detained, took back some prison ID cards recently given to the police officers that defined their alleged crimes as being members of the so-called “parallel structure.”

On the night of July 22, police arrested more than 115 of their colleagues of various ranks in pre-dawn raids as part of a clampdown on police officers who had been involved in investigations into alleged government corruption that became public on Dec. 17 and 25 and the Tawhid-Salam group, an Iranian-backed network operating in Turkey.

The charges against the police officers include espionage and wiretapping. Hours before the pre-dawn raids on July 22, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a live television interview that “we have to fight together against the parallel structure,” a term coined by Erdoğan to describe bureaucrats who follow US-based Islamic cleric and scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Fifty-one of the police officers who were incarcerated in Metris Prison were transferred to Silivri Prison last week, without any explanation from the authorities as to why they had been transferred. Shortly after their transfer, during which they were allegedly subjected to various rights violations, including a 26-hour lack of food, they were given prison ID cards by the Silivri Prison authorities. The crime section of the cards read “parallel structure,” which drew a strong reaction from rights activists, as there is no such crime in the Turkish legal system and no court ruling on the existence of such a structure. The prison officials took back the cards after a public reaction and objections from the detained police officers. The lawyers of the police officers have also filed a criminal complaint against the prison administrators.

However, in a new move, the prison administration has installed cameras in the section where the police officers are jailed. Ömer Turanlı, one of the lawyers defending the police officers, said the move violates the right to privacy. He vowed to take legal action against the prison authorities.

The lawyers are also facing difficulties in meeting with their clients. Some of the lawyers who went to Silivri Prison on Tuesday were not allowed to see their clients. They were told that meetings are not allowed after 10 p.m., although the relevant regulations state lawyers are free to meet with their clients at any time.

Murat Erdoğan, a lawyer, said their right to meet with their clients was violated by the arbitrary actions of the prison administration. “This [ban on meeting with suspects] is exclusive to our clients. We will take legal action against those responsible for this,” he said.

MÜRSEL GENÇ / MAHMUT KURNAZ (Cihan/Today's Zaman)