TWELTH ERGENEKON SWEEP HITS ACADEMICS, NGO WORKERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000550 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2029 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU SUBJECT: TWELTH ERGENEKON SWEEP HITS ACADEMICS, NGO WORKERS REF: A. ANKARA 368 ¶B. ANKARA 144 Classified By: Ambassador James Jeffrey for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Turkish police on April 14 raided 83 locations and detained 29 suspects across Turkey in the twelfth sweep of suspects linked to the Ergenekon investigation. The detainees include two current and three former university rectors, a "Cumhuriyet" columnist, and officials from the Association for Supporting Modern Life, an NGO that works to increase young women's access to education in rural areas of Turkey. While some commentators and analysts remain convinced that there remains a core group of individuals who indeed sought to create sufficient havoc to spark a military coup, this latest round of sweeps has rallied opposition politicians and a wide array of critics who argue that the investigation is a political tool of the government. Opponents assert that the only common link among the disparate group of detainees is their secular nature and general opposition to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. The AKP, meanwhile, has continued to defend the investigation as an independent judicial undertaking. The strong reaction among some sectors could signal the beginning of a serious erosion of public support for the Ergenekon investigation, unless the sweeps lead to the revelation of evidence suggesting specific involvement by at least some of the detainees in activities to undermine the democratic order. ¶2. (C) Summary, cont'. What remains troubling, and uncertain, in all of this sloppiness-dominated process is the degree to which "deep state"-linked military figures and their "secular establishment" friends countenanced, or even planned, mayhem to justify a military coup against Erdogan and the AKP. End summary. -------------- Twelfth Ergenekon Sweep -------------- ¶2. (C) Turkish police on April 14 raided 83 locations in 18 provinces, detaining 29 people in the twelfth sweep of suspects linked to the Ergenekon investigation. The suspects include Baskent University (Ankara) Rector Mehmet Haberal; former Inonu University (Malatya) Rector Fatih Hilmioglu; former May 19 University (Samsun) Rector Ferit Bernay, former Uludag University (Bursa) Rector Mustafa Yurtkuran; "Cumhuriyet" columnist and retired Istanbul University lecturer Erol Manisali. Police took into custody approximately 10 officials from the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life (CYDD),an NGO that works to promote education for girls in the Southeast and disadvantaged regions of Turkey, and searched the house of its Chairwoman Turkan Saylan. The 74 year-old Saylan is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Police also searched the headquarters of Kanal B television in Ankara, a station founded by Haberal and known for its secular views, 20 branches of the CYDD spread across 12 provinces, and the home of Giresun University Rector Metin Ozturk, seizing documents in all locations. ¶3. (C) The AKP government has continued to defend the investigation as an independent judicial undertaking. State Minister and Deputy PM Hayati Yazici told reporters that the investigation is continuing "intensively" and that the prosecutors have the authority to weigh the evidence. According to Yazici, "These issues are within the jurisdiction of the prosecutors. If there is a crime and evidence, the issue goes to the courts and they will decide. Turkey is on the right path." Deputy PM and GOT spokesman Cemil Cicek refrained from answering press questions about the sweep, stating, "I will not answer these questions at all." -------------- Academics and NGO Members Targeted -------------- ¶4. (C) The most prominent academic detainee is Baskent University founder and current president Mehmet Haberal, a ANKARA 00000550 002 OF 003 surgeon who performed the first kidney transplant in Turkey. He is the owner of Ankara's Patalya Hotel and Kanal B television, a station known for its critical views of the AKP government. The second Ergenekon indictment refers to meetings organized by Haberal in the Patalya Hotel to plot against the government. Baskent University Senate members gathered outside of Kanal B in Ankara to protest the investigation. Former President Suleyman Demirel met Haberal at the Ankara airport on April 14 to show his support before Haberal was flown to Istanbul for questioning. The other professors are al well known secularists who oppose allowing women to wear the Islamic-style headscarf in universities. Professor Fatih Hilmioglu, former president of Inonu University, has been quoted by Turkish press has saying that introducing the headscarf in universities would be a threat against the Republic. Giresun University President Osman Metin Ozturk is a retired army officer who has incurred sharp reactions from PM Erdogan when he made statements about the need for a regime change. ¶5. (C) The police search of the house of the 74-year old CYDD Chairwoman Saylan attracted a storm of criticism. The organization is known for its positive work to promote women's education. Saylan, the 2009 annual Vehbi Koc award winner for her work to promote women's education, spoke to the press from her window, saying, "Those who use their democratic rights are being punished. If this is happening to us, who knows who else it will happen to." Police also detained Dogan Media Group and "Milliyet" Executive Board Member Tijen Mergen. Mergen had been overseeing the "Daddy, send me to school" campaign in conjunction with the CYDD. "Hurriyet's" Enis Berberoglu called the accusations against Mergen "ridiculous." He commented that the real goal of the operation might be to break the determination of Mergen to strengthen secular education against education provided by Islamic sects. -------------- Skepticism of Ergenekon Probe Growing -------------- ¶6. (C) As expected, opposition parties denounced the detentions. CHP MP Kemal Anadol told reporters that the detentions are an example of an attempt at a "civilian coup." CHP's Kemal Kilicdaroglu said, "This is an operation against the intellectuals of this country." MHP MP Mehmet Sandir said that the detentions were arranged to distract attention from more serious concerns, such as the economy. -------------- But Some Remain Convinced -------------- ¶7. (C) Not all commentators are convinced that the Ergenekon investigation is solely targeting AKP's political opponents. Influential columnist and editor of "Hurriyet's" English-language "Turkish Daily News" Mehmet Ali Birand wrote April 10 that after reading cover-to-cover the entire second indictment that was accepted by the court on March 24, he no longer doubts there exists at least a core group of individuals, including a number of retired generals, who indeed sought to create sufficient havoc so as to spark a military coup. He indicated that if even 20 percent of the information in the second indictment is true, it is more than enough to prove the seriousness of the investigation. Birand said his main fear is that prosecutors have so overloaded the case with tangential suspects and seemingly unrelated or spurious information that actual perpetrators may, in the end, go free. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) By targeting well-known individuals from secular academic and NGO backgrounds, the latest Ergenekon sweep furthers the perception among some sectors that the AKP is using the case to eliminate or discredit its political opponents. The detention and search of women's rights supporters does not help diminish the belief among some that the investigation is ideologically driven. Nor does the ANKARA 00000550 003 OF 003 timing of the detentions. Coming just after local elections and the visit of President Obama, the timeline has led government opponents to suggest that the time was ripe for AKP to work with prosecutors to orchestrate sweeps that were sure to be controversial, and likely to distract the public from the AKP's relative defeat at the polls and more serious problems such as the ailing economy. The strong reaction among some sectors to the twelfth wave of detentions could signal the beginning of a serious erosion of public support of the Ergenekon case, unless, as was the case with some of the information that prosecutors unearthed in previous sweeps, the investigation reveals specific involvement by at least some of those being detained for questioning in actual coup plotting or other efforts to undermine the democratic order in Turkey. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey Jeffrey