Paper accused of ‘asymmetric war’ on Erdogan
Germany given new dossier on suspected journalists
ANKARA/ISTANBUL, April 5, (Agencies): Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to 43 years in jail for journalists from a leading opposition newspaper on charges of supporting a terrorist organisation and targeting President Tayyip Erdogan through “asymmetric war methods”.
An indictment seen by Reuters on Wednesday said Cumhuriyet had effectively been “taken over” by the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed for a failed coup last July, and used to “veil the actions of terrorist groups”.
Turkey has purged more than 113,000 people from the police, judiciary, military and elsewhere since the coup attempt, and has closed more than 130 media outlets, raising concerns among Western allies about deteriorating rights and freedoms.
The authorities say the measures are justified by the gravity of the coup attempt, in which rogue soldiers tried to overthrow the government and Erdogan, killing more than 240 people, most of them civilians.
Intense
“(Cumhuriyet) started an intense perception operation targeting the government and president of the republic ... through asymmetric war methods,” said the 324-page document, parts of which were published by Turkish media on Tuesday.
Cumhuriyet, long a pillar of the secularist establishment, is accused of straying from its principles in the years leading up to the coup attempt and of writing stories that serve “separatist manipulation”.
The indictment named 19 journalists, of whom 12 have already been detained, including well-known columnist Kadri Gursel, and Ahmet Sik, who once wrote a book critical of Gulen’s movement.
Three of the 19 could face up to 43 years in prison for “aiding an armed terrorist group without being members of it.”
The newspaper called the charges “imaginary accusations and slander” and said some of the testimonies in the indictment were from individuals previously seen as close to Gulen.
“Set them free immediately,” said
PKK attack kills 3:
At least three Turkish soldiers were killed and five others injured during an attack carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey’s its Wednesday front page.
Prosecutors are seeking 15 years in prison for former editor Can Dundar, jailed in 2015 on charges of publishing state secrets involving Turkish support for Syrian rebels, but later released. Dundar lives in Germany.
Current editor Murat Sabuncu and other senior staff were arrested late last year over alleged support for the failed coup, sparking protests in Istanbul.
Social media posts including Tweets comprised the bulk of evidence in the indictment, along with allegations that staff had been in contact with users of Bylock, an encrypted messaging app the government says was used by Gulen’s followers.
Some suspects were accused of “serving the interests” of the PKK militant group, which has waged an insurgency in the mainly Kurdish southeast for three decades, and of the far-leftist DHKP/C, which was behind a series of armed attacks in recent years.
“There are lots of organisations in Turkey. The Gulenist organisation, the PKK, DHKP-C. We are being blamed for helping them all ... and it seems I am the prime suspect,” Dundar said in a video selfie on his website.
He said the fact Cumhuriyet staff had learned about the indictment in pro-government media was “another legal scandal.”
“I stand with all of them and I will continue to be their voice until the end,” he said on the website, which he set up from Germany to keep covering Turkish affairs.
Turkish officials provided additional information about people they believe to have links to terrorist groups to a German delegation visiting Turkey, Interior Ministry sources said on Tuesday.
The material has been sent to the Federal Crime Office and the BfV domestic intelligence agency for further investigation, the sources said. It was not immediately clear if the material included additional individuals or provided further information about suspected terrorist activities.
News of the latest dossier provided by Ankara to Berlin comes amid growing concern about possible Turkish
southeastern province of Sirnak, said Anadolu Agency Tuesday.
The soldiers were involved in a hand grenade attack during an operation against espionage against Germany’s large ethnic Turkish diaspora.
Tensions are running high between the two NATO allies ahead of an April 16 referendum in Turkey that proposes expanding the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan. Berlin infuriated Ankara by cancelling several campaign rallies by Turkish ministers on German soil, drawing accusations from Turkey of “Nazi” tactics.
Spying
Germany last week opened a second investigation into suspected spying by Turkey, following media reports that Turkish intelligence had given German officials a list of more than 300 supposed supporters of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accused of masterminding a failed July 15 coup.
The list included telephone numbers and photographs, including some that may have been taken by hidden surveillance cameras.
News about the latest dossier was first reported by the weekly newspaper Die Zeit.
In another report, a German-Turkish journalist whose arrest in Turkey has jolted relations between Ankara and Berlin is doing well in prison but Germany is pushing for his release, German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth said after consular officials visited him.
Turkish authorities arrested Deniz Yucel, who holds both German and Turkish citizenship, in February on charges of propaganda in support of a terrorist organisation and inciting public violence. Yucel denies the charges.
Describing the case as “one of the big tests of German-Turkish relations”, Roth spoke to reporters after talking to a lawyer from the German consulate who had visited Yucel in prison in Istanbul on Tuesday.
“Mr Yucel is, given the circumstances, doing well. What remains a burden for him is the solitary confinement,” said Roth, who thanked Turkish authorities for allowing consular officials to meet Yucel after they had denied access for weeks.
“But this can’t be the end for us,” Roth added. “We are still pushing for the release of Deniz Yucel.”
PKK militants in Gabar Mountain area, the source said, adding the wounded soldiers were taken to the Sirnak State Hospital.
According to Turkish sources, at least 800 security men and 314 civilians were killed since the launch of the military operations in the east and southeast of the country against the PKK in July of 2015.
It added that the Turkish army killed more than 10,000 PKK militants in Turkey and northern Iraq. (KUNA)
Israeli police kills Palestinian:
Israeli police say they have shot dead a Palestinian who stabbed three people in the old city of Jerusalem.
Spokeswoman Luba Samri says the man stabbed two Jewish youths Saturday before fleeing, with police forces giving chase. He then stabbed one of the policemen before he was shot and killed. Samri says the victims suffered light to moderate injuries.
It was the latest incident in a wave of Palestinian attacks on civilians and security forces that erupted in September 2015.
Palestinians have killed 41 Israelis and two visiting Americans since, mainly in stabbings. Israeli forces have killed at least 241 Palestinians during this time, most identified by Israel as attackers.
Israel says the violence is fueled by Palestinian incitement. Palestinians say it stems from anger over 50 years of occupation. (AP)