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{{Short description|Purported state-sponsored ultranationalist organization in Turkey}}{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}Ergenekon ({{IPA-tr|ˌæɾɟeneˈkon|lang}}) was the name given to an alleged clandestine, secular ultra-nationalistWEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20120803172808weblink">weblink dead, 3 August 2012, State connections to murder of journalist Hrant Dink being ignored, warns BIANET; defamation case against Dink's lawyer dismissed, IFEX, {{better source needed|date=April 2023}} organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces.NEWS,weblink 2008-09-06, Ergenekon had links to security and judiciary bodies, 2008-09-06, Today's Zaman, Erkan, Acar, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080906195904weblink">weblink 6 September 2008, {{better source needed|date=April 2023}} The would-be group, named after Ergenekon, a mythical place located in the inaccessible valleys of the Altay Mountains, was accused of terrorism in Turkey.WEB, Terrorism, About,weblink Is Turkey a Democracy?, 14 January 2009, 7 April 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160407153341weblink">weblink dead, Some believed Ergenekon was part of the "deep state".JOURNAL, Freely, Maureen, Maureen Freely, May 2007, Why they killed Hrant Dink, Index on Censorship, 36, 2, 15–29, 10.1080/03064220701334477, 145049618,weblink The deep state is Turkish shorthand for a faceless clique inside the Turkish state that has, some claim, held the reins of real power throughout the republic's 92-year history. There are some who see it on a continuum with the shady networks that 'took care of business' (including, some believe, the Armenian business) in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. The deep state is held to be based in the army, but closely linked with MIT (the national intelligence service), the judiciary, and (since the 1960s) the mafia., 24 September 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141006140208weblink">weblink 6 October 2014, dead, Ergenekon's modus operandi had been compared to Operation Gladio's Turkish branch, the Counter-Guerrilla.NEWS,weblink 2008-09-23, Party of one, The National (Abu Dhabi), National, 2008-08-29, The network has been compared to the "Gladio" in Italy, Cihan, Tugal,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160313111439weblink">weblink 13 March 2016, dead, NEWS,weblink 2008-08-14, 'Ergenekon' yapılanması, Hürriyet, 2006-05-24, Ergenekon, Gladio’nun Türkiye’deki yapılanması olarak kabul ediliyor., Toygun, Atilla, tr, 1 May 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080501100347weblink">weblink live, By April 2011, over 500 people had been taken into custody and nearly 300 formally charged with membership in what prosecutors described as "the Ergenekon terrorist organization", which they claimed had been responsible for virtually every act of political violence—and controlled every militant group—in Turkey over the last 30 years.Gareth Jenkins The fadıng masquerade: Ergenekon and the polıtıcs of justıce ın Turkey {{webarchive|url=weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120427163058weblink">weblink |date=27 April 2012}}, in Turkey Analyst, Vol. 4 No. 7 of 4 April 2011; accessed on 18 April 2011As of 2015 most of those accused of such crimes have been acquitted, forensic experts concluded the documents for supposed plots were fakeWEB,weblink Turkish Leader Disowns Trials That Helped Him Tame Military, 27 February 2014, The New York Times, 24 February 2017, 14 September 2016,weblink" title="archive.today/20160914184729weblink">weblink live, and some of the executors of trials proved to be linked to the Gülen Movement and were charged with plotting against the Turkish Army.WEB, Hürriyet daily news,weblink Crime – Former chief of general staff says Bush administration supported plot against Turkish army, 7 November 2015, 15 November 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151115012132weblink">weblink live,

Overview

An organization named "Ergenekon" has been talked about since the Susurluk scandal, which exposed a similar gang. However, it is said that Ergenekon has undergone serious changes since then. The first person to publicly talk about the organization was retired naval officer Erol Mütercimler, who spoke of such an organization in 1997."MEMBERWIDE">TITLE=ERGENEKON IS ABOVE GENERAL STAFF, MİTDATE=2008-07-07TODAY'S ZAMAN>FIRST=KAMILARCHIVE-URL = HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20080709061153/HTTP://WWW.TODAYSZAMAN.COM/TZ-WEB/DETAYLAR.DO?LOAD=DETAY&LINK=146843 CREDITS=CAN DüNDARNETWORK=SHOW TVMINUTES=13:40ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20090609191904/HTTP://WWW.CANDUNDAR.COM.TR/INDEX.PHP?DID=5983Memduh Ünlütürk, who was involved in the anti-communist Counter-Guerrilla#Ziverbey villa>Ziverbey interrogations following the 1971 Turkish coup d'état.HTTP://WWW.AKSAM.COM.TR/YAZAR.ASP?A=113405,10,195, 2008-08-26first=Rızawork=Akşamquote=Bu işkencehane, İstanbul Erenköy’deki meşhur Ziverbey Köşkü’dür.İşkencecilerin başında General Memduh Ünlütürk bulunmaktadır.archive-url =weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080402231326weblink">weblink Central Intelligence Agency>CIA and the Pentagon.NEWS,weblinktitle=Kim kimdir? İşadamı, gazeteci, profesör, emekli komutanwork=Radikal, 2008-07-02language=tr, Mütercimler was detained during the Ergenekon investigation for questioning before being released.Mütercimler and others, however, draw a distinction between the Ergenekon of today and the original one, which they equate with the Counter-Guerrilla; Operation Gladio's Turkish branch.NEWS,weblink 2008-07-10, Bizim Ergenekon, Güncel, Milliyet, 2008-11-05, Can Dündar, Can, Dündar, tr, 20 August 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080820165231weblink">weblink live, Today's Ergenekon is said to be a "splinter" off the old one.JOURNAL,weblink 2008-11-15, Ergenekon Indictment Dashes Hopes of Final Reckoning With Turkey's "Deep State", Gareth, Jenkins, Eurasia Daily Monitor, 2008-07-29, 5, 144, 1 May 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090501114524weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink 2008-11-25, Ergenekon is a tiny piece of the deeper state, says Mihri Belli, 2008-11-26, Today's Zaman, Kamil, Maman, Ergenekon must merely be a part of the counter guerrilla that they discarded. The main body is still active., {{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The person whose testimony contributed most to the indictment, Tuncay Güney, described Ergenekon as a junta related to the Turkish Resistance Organization (, TMT) operating in North Cyprus; the TMT was established by founding members of the Counter-Guerrilla.BOOK,weblink Ergenekon İddianamesi, Milliyet, tr, 887, 16 November 2008, 23 January 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160123221035weblink">weblink dead, Former North Cyprus President Rauf Denktaş denied any connection of the TMT to Ergenekon.NEWS,weblink 2008-12-10, Ergenekon'un Kıbrıs'la bağlantısı yok, CNN Türk, 2008-11-11, tr, Söylerler, bağlantısı var diye, bana kadar galiba parmağını gösterenler oldu. Alakası yok, nedir yani bu. Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı'na (TMT) bulaştırmak istediler, alakası yok bunların. Bunlar safsata., 8 July 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110708171945weblink">weblink live, Another position is that while some of the suspects may be guilty of something, there is no organization to which they are all party, and that the only thing they have in common is opposition to the AKP.NEWS,weblink 2008-11-29, Ergenekon: Turkey's conspiracy to end them all, Features, First Post, 2008-11-13, Claire, Berlinski, 16 March 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090316225524weblink">weblink live, There is evidence to suggest that some – but only some – of the defendants named in the indictments have been engaged in illegal activity and that others – again far from all – hold eccentric or distasteful political opinions and worldviews.Gareth Jenkins, Between Fact and Fantasy: Turkey's Ergenekon Investigation {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105172950weblink |date=5 January 2011 }} (Silk Road Studies, August 2009); accessed on 16 May 2011 There are also allegations that Ergenekon's agenda is in line with the policies of the National Security Council, elaborated in the top-secret "Red Book" (the National Security Policy Document).NEWS,weblink 2009-01-06, Yayınevi cinayetinde Ergenekon izleri, 2008-08-21, Çetin, Çiftçi, tr, Ayrıca Ergenekon'un, emirleri şahıslardan değil direkt olarak 'Milli Güvenlik Siyaset Belgesi'nden aldığı belirtiliyor., Zaman (newspaper), Zaman,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081011053739weblink">weblink 11 October 2008, dead, Based on documents prepared by one of the prosecutors, an article in Sabah says that the alleged organization consists of six cells with the following personnel:NEWS,weblinkhaber,5E1890B0612D427780EF958BF3EDF44D.html, 2008-09-22, 'Bir Numara' örgütü 6 hücreden yönetiyor, Sabah (newspaper), Sabah, 2008-09-21, Veli, Sariboga, tr, 22 September 2008, https:web.archive.org/web/20080922214347weblink live,

• Secret and civil cells liaisons: Veli Küçük and Muzaffer Tekin
• Lobbyists: M. Zekeriya Öztürk, Kemal Kerinçsiz, Ä°smail Yıldız, and Erkut Ersoy
• NGO head: Sevgi Erenerol, Kemal Kerinçsiz (assistant)
• Theory, Propaganda, and Disinformation Department head: DoÄŸu Perinçek
• Mafia structuring head: Veli Küçük, Muzaffer Tekin (assistant)
• Underground contacts: Ali Yasak, Sami HoÅŸtan, Semih Tufan Gülaltay, and Sedat Peker
• Terrorist organizations heads: Veli Küçük and DoÄŸu Perinçek
• University structuring: Kemal Yalçın AlemdaroÄŸlu, Emin Gürses, Habib Ãœmit Sayın
• Research and information gathering head: Mehmet Zekeriya Öztürk
• Judicial branch heads: Kemal Kerinçsiz, Fuat Turgut, and Nusret Senem

Of those, the structure of only the "Theory" department had been revealed as of September 2008.NEWS,weblink 2008-11-15, Ergenekon organization chart mapped out, 2008-09-22, Today's Zaman,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081119031241weblink">weblink 19 November 2008, dead, NEWS,weblinkhaber,E4C194D532394A2C89A85DCBFB014FB7.html, 2008-09-22, Beş hücre hâlâ deşifre edilemedi, 2008-09-21, Sabah (newspaper), Sabah, tr, 24 September 2008, https:web.archive.org/web/20080924004011weblink live, Some have called Veli Küçük the leader in the organization.NEWS,weblink 2008-12-17, Ergenekon 1992'de Gebze'de kuruldu, Gündem, Yeni Şafak, 2008-08-04, Ergenekon 1992'de Veli Küçük'ün Gebze'deki makam odasında yapılan bir toplantıyla birlikte kuruldu. Kurucusu Veli Küçük'tür. Toplantıda Veli Amca, Sedat Peker ve iki kişi daha vardı., tr, 30 April 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090430085833weblink">weblink live, Şamil Tayyar of the Star daily says that Küçük is not "even among the top ten".NEWS,weblink 2011-05-18, EU process victim of and solution to Ergenekon, sendika.org, 2008-02-16, Neşe, Düzel, Ergenekon'da ilk ona bile zor girer Veli Küçük., 30 September 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110930093842weblink">weblink live, Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) reportedly informed the prosecutor about the identity of the "number one" in the organization, but this will not be made public.NEWS,weblink Serkan, Ocak, 2008-12-27, 1 numara'yı sadece mahkeme görebilir, Türkiye, Radikal, 2008-12-26, tr, 27 January 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090127012004weblink">weblink live, In most cases the name is shown as having derived from the Ergenekon myth; a place in Eurasia of mythological significance, esp. among nationalists (see Agartha).NEWS,weblink 2008-11-19, Operasyonda Ergenekon ismi MHP'lileri kızdırdı, 2008-02-01, Uğur, Becerikli, Sabah, 13 February 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090213124516weblink">weblink live, The legend was vigorously promulgated during the early years of the Turkish Republic as Atatürk sought to create a nation state in which national consciousness rather than religion served as the primary determinant of identity. With the growing number of detentions and subsequent court cases (see: Ergenekon (trials)) not many people still really understand what is happening.Joost Lagendijk: Ergenekon, gut feelings and facts (1) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109005537weblink |date=9 January 2010 }} Hürriyet Daily News of 5 January 2010; accessed on 16 May 2011 (also see (#Debate on Ergenekon|chapter: Debate on Ergenekon))

Discovery

Although the investigation was officially launched in 2007, the existence of the organization was known beforehand. The files on Ergenekon were said to be discovered after a spy called Tuncay Güney was detained in March 2001 for petty fraud. Some say the crime was a ploy to set the investigation in motion. A police search of his house turned up the six sacks of evidence on which the indictment is based.One month later, a columnist on good terms with the government, Fehmi Koru, was the first to break the news,NEWS,weblink 2008-09-23, 'Ergenekon Temel Belgesi'ni ortaya Fehmi Koru çıkarmış, Siyaset, Milliyet, 2008-09-23, tr, 24 July 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080724135349weblink">weblink live, under his usual pen name, Taha Kıvanç.NEWS,weblink 2008-09-23, Hayaller gerçek galiba, Yeni Şafak, Taha, Kıvanç, Fehmi Koru, 2001-04-30, tr, 1 October 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121001030516weblink">weblink live, His article was based on a key Ergenekon report dated 29 October 1999, and titled s:.NEWS,weblink Ergenekon banka kuracak, ticaret yapacakmış!, Milliyet, Esra, Alus, 2008-07-29, 2008-08-10, tr, 4 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304235019weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink 2008-09-23, Ergenekon İddianamesi, Milliyet, 32, tr, 22 August 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080822134214weblink">weblink dead,

Tuncay Güney's testimony (2001)

The person whose statements to the police in 2001 formed "the backbone of the indictment"NEWS,weblink 2008-11-15, Ex-police chief Saçan probed over Ergenekon cover-up allegations, 2008-09-25, Today's Zaman, Sedat, Güney, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081017112440weblink">weblink 17 October 2008, was a spy named Tuncay Güney, alias "İpek". Güney is believed to be subordinate to Mehmet Eymür, formerly of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT)'s Counterterrorism Department. Eymür was discharged and his department disbanded in 1997. Güney's relationship to the MİT has been a matter of confusion; his boss was once a MİT employee, while the MİT says Güney was not (specifically, he was not a "registered informant") and that the MİT considered him a suspicious person.NEWS,weblink 2009-01-07, İşte Türkiye'yi sarsacak o gizli belge, 2009-01-07, Bugün, Adem Yavuz, Arslan, tr, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090111030357weblink">weblink 11 January 2009, NEWS,weblink 2009-01-07, Manipülasyon ve Ergenekon, Türkiye, Radikal, 2009-01-08, Ismet, Berkan, 24 January 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20200124041023weblink">weblink live, PRESS RELEASE, Response to an article in the newspaper Sabah, 2008-11-26, Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı,weblink tr, 2008-11-27, Undersecretariat, 13 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160313132602weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink 2008-11-27, MİT'ten Güney açıklaması, 2008-11-27, tr, Sabah,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090121150027weblink">weblink 21 January 2009, dead, He had allegedly been tasked with infiltrating the gendarmerie's intelligence agency (JITEM) and Ergenekon in 1992.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090121234024weblink">weblink dead, 2009-01-21, 2008-11-27, MİT sent Güney to infiltrate Ergenekon, document shows, 2008-11-27, Today's Zaman, Güney was apprehended in 2001 for issuing fake licenses and plates for luxury cars. He is still sentenced in absentia for this offense.NEWS,weblink 2008-11-16, Tuncay Güney'in davası 7 yıldır sürüyor, Siyaset, Milliyet, 2008-08-29, Nezih, Gürol, tr, 6 October 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141006190602weblink">weblink live, No charges have been brought against him in the frame of the Ergenekon investigation, some say as a result of a bargain struck with the authorities.NEWS,weblink 2008-12-04, 'Güney'in ifadesinden 42 sayfa eksik', Türkiye, Radikal, 2008-11-07, Serkan, Ocak, tr, Bu kişiden çıkan belgelerden dolayı birçok sanık huzurdadır. Ancak bu kişi hakkında dava açılmıyor. Bunu engelleyen nedir? Savcıyla bu kişi arasında bir anlaşmamı vardır., 1 May 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090501184754weblink">weblink live, However, he is currently under investigation,NEWS,weblink 2008-12-04, Tuncay Güney'e terör örgütü üyeliğinden soruşturma, Türkiye, Radikal, 2008-12-04, Anadolu Agency, 1 May 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090501184404weblink">weblink live, and State Prosecutor Ziya Hurşit Karayurt has proposed that he be subpoenaed.NEWS,weblink 2008-12-10, Güney'e dair davalar için 'Ergenekon' incelenecek, 2008-10-27, CNN Türk, tr, 25 January 2021,weblink live, The court is deliberating whether to consolidate his earlier case with the Ergenekon one.NEWS , In addition, legal proceedings have been initiated to obtain his testimony from abroad using Interpol.NEWS , Prosecutor Öz has prepared a list of 37 questions for Güney, who says he will cooperate if the questioning is done by the Canadian police.NEWS,weblink 2009-01-07, Öz'ün 37 sorusuna Güney'den jet yanıt: Ben de soracağım, Hürriyet, 2009-01-08, Murat, Kazanci, Canikligil, Razi, tr, Güney: Beni kim sorgulayacak, Türk polisi mi? Yoksa Kanada polisi mi? Kanada’da demokrasi var. Nasıl olacağını bilmiyorum. Avukatımı da çağırırım, gelirler, oturur konuşuruz. Ben de onlara bir 37 soru hazırlarım. Bu soruları size de veririm aynı onlar gibi gazetede yayımlarız., 24 January 2020,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20200124041020weblink">weblink live, Güney has been said to conflate fact and fiction,NEWS,weblink 2008-11-21, Veli Küçük beni işten kovdurttu, Gündem, Yeni Şafak, 2008-07-24, tr, Ayşe, Önal, Tuncay doğruları, içine inanılmaz senaryolar ekleyerek anlatıyor., 20 January 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090120172943weblink">weblink live, NEWS , casting doubt over the indictment, which names him a "fugitive suspect" ().NEWS,weblink 2008-11-19, Kilit haham iddianamede yok, Hürriyet, 2008-07-14, Dogan News Agency, Ceza Muhakemesi Kanununda iddianamenin iadesi için 15 günlük inceleme süresi içerisinde soruşturma dosyasındaki kısıt kararına rağmen tespit edebildiğimiz kadarıyla, Tuncay Güney'in ne sanık olarak ne de itirafçı olarak iddianamede ifadesinin alınmadığını öğrenmiş bulunmaktayız. İddianamenin iadesini düzenleyen maddede suçun sübûtuna etki edeceği mutlak sayılan mevcut bir delil toplanmadan düzenlenen iddianamenin iade edileceği hususu düzenlenmiştir. Bu çerçevede, güya Ergenekon Örgütünün kuruluş metinlerini yazdığını kendi ağzıyla ifade eden Tuncay Güney'in iddianamede ifadesinin yer almaması esaslı bir eksikliktir. Yani Tuncay Güney de var ise Ergenekon Örgütünün mensubu ve suçlusudur. Bu halde olsa olsa Tuncay Güney itirafçı olabilecektir. Ancak bunun içinde Tuncay Güney'in ifadesine başvurulmuş olması gerekmektedir., 5 January 2024,weblink live, Güney is seen as such an important figure that rival press groups have exchanged columns accusing one another of attempting to influence public opinion by questioning his credibility.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081203193216weblink">weblink dead, 2008-12-03, 2008-12-02, Ergenekon critics use Güney as ploy, 2008-12-03, Today's Zaman, E Baris, Altintas, NEWS,weblink 2008-12-04, Tuncay Güney ve Zaman gazetesi, Siyaset, Milliyet, 2008-12-02, Sedat, Ergin, tr, 4 June 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110604162826weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink 2008-12-04, Zaman gazetesine yanıtlar -ikinci bölüm, Siyaset, Milliyet, 2008-12-04, Sedat, Ergin, tr, 4 June 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110604162855weblink">weblink live, It is alleged that one the parties, Aydın Doğan, was asked not to publish material about Ergenekon, by Veli Küçük through Doğu Perinçek.NEWS,weblink 2008-11-16, 2008-11-12, Şamil, Tayyar, Star, tr, Aydın Doğan Ergenekon'dan nasıl sıyırdı?, 22 January 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090122055810weblink">weblink live, In December 2008, Güney said that a Hürriyet reporter offered him a bribe not to talk about the newspaper, one of whose senior members is allegedly in Ergenekon.PRESS RELEASE,weblink 2008-12-11, Tuncay Güney Hürriyet'i yalanladı, FarukArslan.com, Güney, Tuncay, 2008-12-10, tr, 22 January 2013,weblink" title="archive.today/20130122181157weblink">weblink live, Hürriyet denied the allegations.NEWS,weblink Hürriyet: Tuncay Güney iftira atıyor, 2008-12-12, Yeni Şafak, 2008-12-13, Gündem, tr, 15 December 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081215061449weblink">weblink live, NEWS ,

Weapons found

Legal proceedings

{{Wikisource|:tr:Ergenekon iddianamesi|Ergenekon indictments|lang=tr}}The first hearing was held on 20 October 2008. Retired public prosecutor Mete Göktürk estimated that they would last at least one year.NEWS,weblink 2008-11-29, Dava 1 yıldan önce bitmez, 2008-10-19, Ecevit, Kilic, Sabah, tr, 23 October 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081023095658weblink">weblink live, Most of the cases related to Ergenekon are handled by Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 12 and 13 (formerly Istanbul State Security Court 4 and 5).See for instanceweblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712112948weblink |date=12 July 2011 }} The original three prosecutors were Zekeriya Öz (prosecutor-in-chief), Mehmet Ali Pekgüzel and Nihat Taşkın.NEWS , The judge was Köksal Şengün.NEWS,weblink 2008-09-15, Ergenekon düğümünü o çözecek, Türkiye, Radikal, 2008-07-25, tr, Eyup, Erdogan, Most trials are held at a prison complex in Istanbul's Silivri neighborhood.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}The investigation drew alleged links between an armed attack on the Turkish Council of State in 2006 that left a judge dead,NEWS,weblink 2009-01-09, Turkey charges 86 for 'coup plot', Europe, 2008-07-14, BBC News, 24 July 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080724064022weblink">weblink live, a bombing of a secularist newspaper, threats and attacks against people accused of being unpatriotic and the 1996 Susurluk incident, as well as links to the plans of some groups in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to overthrow the present government. According to the investigation, Ergenekon had a role in the murder of Hrant Dink, a prominent journalist of Armenian descentWEB , Italian priest Father Andrea Santoro in February 2006 and the brutal murders of three Christians, one a German national, killed in the province of Malatya in April 2007.Ergenekon indictment reopens gendarmerie major’s murder case {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205213650weblink |date=5 December 2008 }}, Today's Zaman, 13 August 2008. Furthermore, files about JİTEM related the assassination of former JİTEM commander Cem Ersever, killed in November 1993, to Ergenekon. A former JİTEM member, Abdülkadir Aygan, said that JİTEM is the military wing of Ergenekon.NEWS , The indictment also suggests questionable connections between Ergenekon and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), raising some suspicions that Ergenekon might have played a role in inciting ethnic hatred between Turks and Kurds and increasing sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Alevis.Shocking Ergenekon Indictment {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008122244weblink |date=8 October 2011 }} Star International of 8 August 2008; accessed on 16 May 2011 The Gülen movement-affiliated Zaman newspaper quoted a senior intelligence officer, Bülent Orakoğlu, as having said that the PKK, Dev Sol, Hezbollah, and Hizb ut-Tahrir are artificial organizations set up by the network, and that Abdullah Öcalan himself was an Ergenekon member.NEWS , However, Zaman's claims have been disputed,JOURNAL,weblink 2008-11-15, Fact, Fantasy, And Farce As More Are Detained in Ergenekon Probe, Eurasia Daily Monitor, Gareth, Jenkins, 5, 181, 2008-09-22, Nevertheless, the pro-AKP media continue to claim that virtually every act of terrorism in Turkey attributed to Islamist militants over the last 20 years was actually a "false flag" operation by Ergenekon, including those that occurred before the organization was even formed., 1 May 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090501114954weblink">weblink live, and the role of the broader Gülen movement in the trials has come under scrutiny.File:Defense.gov photo essay 100206-D-7203C-020.jpg|thumb|Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert GatesRobert GatesÖcalan dismissed allegations made by intelligence officer Bülent Orakoğlu concerning himself, but he did say that a group inside the PKK, which he called the Zaza Group, had links with Ergenekon. He said that this group was led by Sait Çürükkaya and tried to seize control of the PKK, adding "Particularly in the Diyarbakır-Muş-Bingöl triangle, they have staged intensive and bloody attacks".Senior general knew about lieutenants’ Ergenekon contacts {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924082121weblink |date=24 September 2008 }}, Today's Zaman, 24 September 2008 The brother of Sait Çürükkaya, Selim Çürükkaya had earlier written a book "When secrets get decoded" (tr: Sırlar Çözülürken) accusing Abdullah Öcalan of being a member of Ergenekon.Publishing House DOZ, March 2007, {{ISBN|978-975-6876-95-4}}Responding to allegations in Taraf, DHKP/C issued a press release ridiculing claims of its connection to Ergenekon.PRESS RELEASE,weblink The old theories about the Sabanci Center have gone mouldy!, DHKP/C, 2008-05-18, 15 November 2008, 1 March 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120301094208weblink">weblink live, By May 2009, 142 people had been formally charged with membership of the "Ergenekon armed terrorist organization" in two massive indictments totalling 2,455 and 1,909 pages respectively. Further trials followed and in March 2011 the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) presented the following figures:

• So far 176 hearing in the first trial. After the case was merged with the case related to an armed attack on the Turkish Council of State in 2006 the number of defendants increased to 96
• So far 107 hearings in the second trial
• Investigation under the titles of "cage action plan" (tr: Kafes Eylem Planı), "planned assassination of admirals" (tr: Amirallare Suikast) and "Poyrazköy" (village in Beykoz district of Istanbul) were merged as the Poyrazköy case. There are 69 defendants, seven of them in pre-trial detention
• An indictment as part of the Ergenekon investigations carries the title: "Plans to intervene in democracy" (tr: Demokrasiye Müdahale Planı)
• Another court case around the Association for Support of Contemporary Life (tr: ÇaÄŸdaÅŸ YaÅŸamı Destekleme DerneÄŸi ÇYDD) and the Foundation for Contemporary Education (tr: ÇaÄŸdaÅŸ EÄŸitim Vakfı ÇEV) was to start on 18 March 2011, with eight board members on trial
• Arms found in Åžile on 28 July 2008, resulted in a trial with four defendants, two of them in pre-trial detention
• A trial has been ongoing following several raids of the offices of OdaTV and the homes of many of its personnel in 2011.WEB,weblink TRT – Anasayfa, 19 June 2011, 28 September 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110928041603weblink">weblink dead, In the case, fourteen journalists are charged with conspiring with Ergenekonweblink{{dead link|date=May 2016}}

Debate on Ergenekon

In August 2008, 300 intellectuals from Turkey declared their support for the investigation and called upon all civil and military institutions to deepen the investigation in order to reveal the rest of the people tied to Ergenekon.NEWS , This initial wave of optimism has since waned, and there is a growing mass of intellectuals and policy analysts who dismiss the possibility of Ergenekon carrying out the deeds attributed to it by the public prosecution as laid out in the indictment and trial proceedings.Chasing Ergenekon {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719044554weblink |date=19 July 2011 }} Ebru İlhan in Revolver Magazine of 13 May 2011; accessed on 18 May 2011 Many people have criticized the manner in which the Ergenekon investigation is being conducted, citing in particular the length of the indictment,NEWS,weblink Release Of "Ergenekon" Indictment Postponed Again; File To Be As Tall As 26-40 Storey Building, MEMRI Turkish Media Blog, 2008-07-31, 2008-07-11, KanalD TV, Vatan, 13 August 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080813060250weblink">weblink live, wiretapping in breach of privacy laws,NEWS , NEWS,weblink 2008-09-04, 'İddianamedeki dedikodu'ya hukukçulardan itiraz, Siyaset, Milliyet, 2008-08-31, tr, Gokcer Tahincioglu, Esra Alus, 11 October 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081011010636weblink">weblink live, and illegal collection of evidence.NEWS,weblink 2009-01-08, Judiciary gears up for close look at Ergenekon, 2009-01-08, Hurriyet Daily News, The code of Criminal Procedure obliges the presence of a prosecutor during all house searches, confiscations, detentions and arrests. We have seen that every search and detention has been conducted solely by police. If not conducted with a prosecutor, the evidence seized is considered illegal., 16 October 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121016202615weblink">weblink live, Some commentators have suggested the trials are being used to suppress opponents and critics of the AKP government, particularly in the Odatv case.NEWS,weblink 2011-05-18, 2008-07-14, The extent of the operation had widened since the closure case against the AKP filed in March. Although the closure case and the Ergenekon case are separate legal processes, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had linked the two cases saying the closure case against the AKP was filed due to the government’s determination in the Ergenekon case., Turkish prosecutors file indictment on controversial Ergenekon case, Hürriyet Daily News, 25 March 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120325002304weblink">weblink live, Commenting on the arrest of former chief of staff İlker Başbuğ in January 2012, former United States Ambassador to Turkey Eric S. Edelman said the Ergenekon arrests "underscore the serious questions about Turkey's continued commitment to press freedom and the rule of law".Coup-plotting allegations in Turkey: Bugged Out {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107020507weblink |date=7 January 2012 }} The Economist 6 January 2012

Alleged involvement of Gülen Movement

Gülen movement's possible involvement in Ergenekon plot has always been an issue of debate, which critics have characterized as "a pretext" by the government "to neutralize dissidents" in Turkey.WEB,weblink Behind Turkey's Witch Hunt, Soner, Cagaptay, 29 January 2016, 5 February 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160205001000weblink">weblink dead, In March 2011, seven Turkish journalists were arrested, including Ahmet Şık, who had been writing a book, "Imamin Ordusu" (The Imam's Army),Turkish authorities launch raids to censor book before publication {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706121748weblink |date=6 July 2013 }} in the Guardian of 5 April 2011; accessed on 11 April 2011 which alleges that the Gülen movement has infiltrated the country's security forces. As Şık was taken into police custody, he shouted, "Whoever touches it [the movement] gets burned!".NEWS,weblink The New York Times, Şebnem, Arsu, 7 More Journalists Detained in Turkey, 2011-03-03, Upon his arrest, drafts of the book were confiscated and its possession was banned. Şık has also been charged with being part of the alleged Ergenekon plot, despite being an investigator of the plot before his arrest.Details can be found in English on the site of the Democratic Turkey Forum {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505094220weblink |date=5 May 2017 }}; accessed on 5 April 2001. In the footnotes to translated passages of the book you can find other works on the subject.In a reply, Abdullah Bozkurt, from the Gülen movement newspaper Today's Zaman, accused Ahmet Şık of not being "an investigative journalist" conducting "independent research," but of hatching "a plot designed and put into action by the terrorist network itself."The alleged terrorist network is the Ergenekon organization, see Article of 29 March 2011 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201055315weblink |date=1 February 2016 }}; accessed on 5 April 2011According to Gareth H. Jenkins, a Senior Fellow of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Joint Center at Johns Hopkins University: From the outset, the pro-AKP media, particularly the newspapers and television channels run by the Gülen Movement such as Zaman, Today's Zaman and Samanyolu TV, have vigorously supported the Ergenekon investigation. This has included the illegal publication of "evidence" collected by the investigators before it has been presented in court, misrepresentations and distortions of the content of the indictments and smear campaigns against both the accused and anyone who questions the conduct of the investigations.There have long been allegations that not only the media coverage but also the Ergenekon investigation itself is being run by Gülen's supporters. In August 2010, Hanefi Avcı, a right-wing police chief who had once been sympathetic to the Gülen Movement, published a book in which he alleged that a network of Gülen's supporters in the police were manipulating judicial processes and fixing internal appointments and promotions. On 28 September 2010, two days before he was due to give a press conference to present documentary evidence to support his allegations, Avcı was arrested and charged with membership of an extremist leftist organization. He remains in jail. On 14 March 2011, Avcı was also formally charged with being a member of the alleged Ergenekon gang.WEB,weblink Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program, Silkroadstudies.org, 2013-12-18, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120427163058weblink">weblink 27 April 2012, The Gülen movement has also been implicated in what both Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as well as the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) have said were illegal court decisions against members of the Turkish military, including many during the Ergenekon investigation.NEWS, Turkish Leader Disowns Trials That Helped Him Tame Military,weblink Arango, Tim, 26 February 2014, 27 February 2014, The New York Times, In 2005, years before the trials, a man affiliated with the Gulen movement approached Eric S. Edelman, then the American ambassador, at a party in Istanbul and handed him an envelope containing a handwritten document that supposedly laid out a plan for an imminent coup. But as Mr. Edelman recounted, he gave the documents to his colleagues and they were determined to be forgeries., 13 March 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140313204346weblink">weblink live,

See also

• Sledgehammer (coup plan)
• Sarıkız, Ayışığı, Yakamoz and Eldiven

Further reading

• WEB,weblink Ergenekon: The bizarre case that shaped modern Turkey, Alex Macdonald, 30 August 2019,

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{wikisourcelang|tr|Ergenekon iddianamesi}}

• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20091201031944weblink">Summary of the first indictment in English
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110424195602weblink">Summary of the second indictment in English
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110424193902weblink">The Lobby (Lobi) document in English: This booklet was found in the raids to the homes of several Ergenekon suspects. It is one of the basic documents used as evidence in the second indictment.
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110424191947weblink">The Ergenekon Analysis (Analiz) document in English: This document, part of the second indictment, compromises the goals, tactics, member profiles, and financial sources of the alleged organization.
• Necati Polat, "The Anti-Coup Trials in Turkey: What Exactly is Going On?" Mediterranean Politics (Vol. 16, No. 1, 2011), pp. 213–19
• Umit Cizre and Joshua Walker, "Conceiving the New Turkey after Ergenekon," The International Spectator (Vol. 45, No. 1, 2010), pp. 89–98
• Young Civilians and Human Rights Agenda Association, Ergenekon is Our Reality (Istanbul, 2010)
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20091123024450weblink">Serdar Kaya, "The Rise and Decline of the Turkish ‘Deep State’: The Ergenekon Case," Insight Turkey (Vol. 11, No. 4, 2009), pp. 99–113
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110105172950weblink">Gareth H. Jenkins, Between Fact and Fantasy: Turkey’s Ergenekon Investigation (Washington and Stockholm: Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Silk Road Studies Program, August 2009)
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100403011814weblink">The Basics of the Ergenekon Operation
• Chronology: I {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119095249weblink |date=19 November 2008 }}, II {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119094532weblink |date=19 November 2008 }}, III {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119214156weblink |date=19 November 2008 }}, IV {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119163511weblink |date=19 November 2008 }}, V {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115074048weblink |date=15 November 2008 }}. Today's Zaman.
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081204141150weblink">Network's organization chart, Today's Zaman.

, They are also included in the indictment's annex: folder 236, p.196-7{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

• Turkey -- Guide to Ergenekon An Open Source Center Report of 19 March 2010
• Politics of Principles or Principles of Politics: An Evaluation on Ergenekon Investigation by Taptuk Emre Erkoc in Global Faultlines on 30 March 2011

{{Turkish nationalism}}{{Authority control}}