Striking words in the trial of Ayhan Bora Kaplan: Target is the People's Alliance, Soylu's name is demanded.

The Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization case, which has been at the top of Turkey's agenda both with its capture and trial process, has also led to a different investigation with the involvement of some high-ranking police officers. Interesting statements are emerging during the ongoing trial that has been going on for days. During the trial, Deniz Uğurcan's lawyer said that the target was the People's Alliance and demanded the name of former Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu to be mentioned.



The trial of the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization, involving 61 people, 20 of whom are detained, continues at the 32nd Heavy Penal Court in Ankara at Sincan Prison. In today's trial, the requests for the release of the defendants and their lawyers were heard.



In his defense, Kaplan's lawyer Tarık Teoman said, "Erkan Doğan's statement was included in the file related to the organized crime investigation. How can this incident be added to this file? This incident has already been concluded with a decision of non-prosecution. The file based on this indictment is actually null and void. I have never seen so many police officers following a case, taking notes. What does it mean to add evidence to the file without the prosecutor's request? We are people who believe in the law. We have no other place to express our concerns. It is as if my client has been doing what he wanted for years and is now being tried. Perception is overshadowing the reality here. Erkan Doğan threw a stone into a well, and we are trying to get it out."



In his defense regarding the Mahfuz Tatar murder case, lawyer Tarık Teoman said, "The Court of Cassation says, 'The incident in question was carried out through insult, under unjust provocation.' There is no need for a retrial here. It is clear that my client was insulted and the trial was based on that. There is no reason for my client to remain in prison for another day. We have no doubt that he will be acquitted as a result of the trial. Therefore, we request his release."



Lawyer Umut Köroğlu, one of the lawyers of Ayhan Bora Kaplan, said, "There is a great perception management going on outside. Even the arrest of Bora Kaplan is against the procedure. I was going to bring the footage served to us by fugitive journalists from abroad because forgery starts there. This file is flawed from the beginning. The wiretaps that the Court of Cassation issued a decision of non-prosecution in 2020 were illegally included in this file. There are inaccuracies in the expert report. Our client is being held in custody due to public pressure and lies. It is really impossible to separate the false statements from the true ones in so many indictments. I believe that the file has collapsed fundamentally. I request the release of my client, otherwise I request his release with the application of judicial control conditions."



Lawyer Rıdvan Şahin, another lawyer of Ayhan Bora Kaplan, made the following defense: "Kerem Gökay Öner talks about such corruption that if I were in the Police, I would never let anyone working in the Organized Crime Unit in through the door again. My client caused the fastest law enforcement investigation in the history of Turkey. My client revealed this. This file was produced by Erkan Doğan and everything that came from the poisonous thing that was produced from the poisonous thing was also poisonous.



When there is power poisoning, merit, fear, and supervision disappear. Whose names are not mentioned in this file? Why is Prosecutor Yüksel Kocaman's name mentioned in our file? What is the relevance? Bora Kaplan enters the organized crime file with Altan Tozar. But Bora Kaplan was also tried for this and received a decision of non-prosecution.



Furthermore, it is a confession of the Turkish police that the police officers who were arrested are currently conducting the investigation in question. What is the current conjuncture in the Police and Justice, Mr. Judge? How does the Police send documents to this file on its own? We are talking about something here and documents are coming in at that moment. On the 18th of the month, just 5 days ago, we received a tip that 'Bora Kaplan will flee to Italy' from someone in Syria, and this entered the file on the 19th. Why did it enter the file? I am sure that it will be presented to the press as 'Bora Kaplan was going to flee, but the Police prevented it'. This file will be a file that will go down in history with the judicial slap you will give to those who commit irregularities from the law enforcement forces and public officials, or with your belief in them. Erkan Doğan has periodontitis (gum recession). I wanted to bring a doctor regarding the issue, but no one is coming or giving a report. They are afraid. I don't understand why they are afraid. You didn't ask Erkan Doğan a question one day, Mr. Chairman. I request the release of my client."



Sidar Yurtçiçek, the lawyer of the defendant Deniz Uğurcan, also made the following defense: "The trap set by the Organized Crime Branch managers has collapsed. The target is all the components of the People's Alliance and the politicians affiliated with it. The names of Süleyman Soylu, Hasan Doğan, and Mücahit Arslan were requested to be mentioned. As Mr. Devlet Bahçeli said, this is not something that can be done by 3-5 police officers. In this file, the Head of the Organized Crime Branch became a confessing witness. It is spread by the KÖZ group. Kemalettin Özdemir is an independent structure separate from the Fethullahist gang. My client Deniz Uğurcan is accused as the instigator of Semih Arslan's murder, but there is no concrete evidence that Semih Arslan was killed. My client's last meeting with Bora Kaplan was in 2015. He has no contact with any of the defendants here, not just him. I request the release of my client."



Melek Akdağlı, one of the lawyers of the defendant Emir Akyol, also requested his release. Berk Özen, one of the lawyers of the defendant Akyol, said, "The police officers who conducted the investigation in question are currently in custody. This is a development that will affect the file from the very beginning. We have been fighting a legal battle here for months. We have no doubt that the victims will be acquitted as a result of this trial, but delayed justice is not justice. It is unlawful for my client to be detained at this stage. If necessary, I request his release with the strictest security measures and his acquittal within the scope of the file."



Uğur Ulutaş, the lawyer of the defendant Fethi Koyuncu, requested the release of his client, saying, "Unlawful statements have been made regarding the secret witnesses. Therefore, we believe that these secret witness statements should not be taken into account in the judgment."



The lawyers of the defendants Furkan Anıl Bahar, Hasan Arslantaş, Hasan Can Saraçoğlu, Kanber Keskin, Levent Erdoğan, Sercan Keleş, Uğur Pekşen, and Umut Can Yıldırım also requested the release of their clients. The trial will continue tomorrow morning at 09:00.