September 22, 2015

When will supporters come to their senses?

Nazlı Ilıcak

According to pro-government media reports, the Military Prosecutor’s Office has started an investigation against me, based on a confidential document signed by General Staff Intelligence Chief, Lieutenant General İsmail Hakkı Pekin. AKTrolls are ecstatic… They say, “Your fate will be the same as Mehmet Baransu.”

I’ve already said my word, but let me repeat: such threats or intimidations would never make me change my attitude. I write whatever I think is right. Further, it’s clear nothing could come out of such an investigation, if there even is one. The documents in question were sent to me on December 29, 2014, at 19:30, from the Tahşiye El-Kaidedir (meaning, Tahsiye is al-Qaeda) Twitter account (@TahsiyeKimdir). I wrote about the information in my column on January 2, 2015.

I used the same information again last week (September 19, 2015), in newspaper reports about the Tahşiye indictment concerning the “Fethullah Terrorist Organization.” What was the information? You will remember Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKTrolls’ claims, “In April 2009, Fethullah Gülen gave orders and the Tahşiye conspiracy was started against innocent people.” You will also remember that Mister Prosecutor demanded a 34-year sentence for Fethullah Gülen, for his alleged “conspiracy.”

In response, I published a document, dated March 13, 2009, which demonstrated Mehmet Doğan’s association with al-Qaeda. It was a General Staff document sent to the Land Forces Command, and İsmail Hakkı Pekin confirmed that it existed. He said, “We were informed by the MİT and on March 13, 2009, I sent the information to the Land Forces Command.”

As for Fethullah Gülen, he made mention of the Tahşiye group in April 2009, on the herkul.org website. He warned about the probability of a fake organization to create fundamentalism paranoia: “They may attribute it to us and declare the Hizmet Movement followers, who have never taken a gun in their hands, to be terrorists. Beware.”

If the Military Prosecutor’s Office has indeed started an investigation against me, I would not be afraid. On the contrary, I would be glad because it is not a Criminal Judge of Peace who is laying his or her hands on the case. However, there are people who need to stop and think. For instance, the prosecutor who demands 34 years of prison for Fethullah Gülen… The MİT and General Staff documents reveal Mehmet Doğan and his friends’ connection with al-Qaeda and love for Osama bin Laden. That is why an operation was carried out in January 2010. Tayyip Erdoğan had meant to give a message to the West. Indeed, Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler made a press conference after the operation and explained they were determined to crack down on members of al-Qaeda.

And now, despite the reports and Muammer Güler’s press conference, they describe the case as a “FETÖ (Fethullah Terrorist Organization) conspiracy.” Have they lost their minds?

Published on BGNNews, 22 September 2015, Tuesday

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