JİTEM is an illegal and clandestine intelligence unit inside the military believed to be responsible for many crimes committed against residents of the Southeast in the 1990s. The unit is also said to be behind the disappearance of countless Kurds in southeastern Turkey. JİTEM is also thought to be an instrumental arm of the illegal organization Ergenekon, which is charged with plotting against the government. Although the existence of JİTEM has been denied, none of the institutions have managed to convince the public that the group does not exist.Yeni Şafak’s Fehmi Koru says when he first learned of the General Staff’s statement regarding the non-existence of JİTEM, he thought the General Staff wanted to distance itself from this shadowy unit because it is a unit of the gendarmerie and the gendarmerie operates under the Interior Ministry. However, upon hearing the Gendarmerie General Command’s statement, he realized that he was mistaken. “JİTEM does not exist in the General Staff, in the force commands or the gendarmerie. Has a unit like JİTEM never existed, or did it exist in the past but was later closed down? Or is the unit which we always associated with the military, a non-military unit, therefore answerable to another body of the state? All these questions reflect a mentality which accepts the existence of JİTEM despite denial from the military,” says Koru. The existence of JİTEM is known by everyone, adds Koru, noting that its existence and actions have been confirmed by reliable witnesses on various occasions.
According to Koru the military should never become subject to speculation, and it should never let curiosity develop over issues related to it. “I wonder if the General Staff would consider shedding light on the JİTEM issue since that would prevent increasing public curiosity. It would be a good start for the military to create an environment where military and civilian prosecutors can work together on the issue and share the results of the report they prepare together,” suggests Koru.
Although the gendarmerie and the General Staff deny the existence of JİTEM, there are dozens of documents, hundreds, possibly thousands, of witnesses and even staff payrolls that all prove the existence of this unit, says Radikal’s İsmet Berkan. He also complains about the lack of an investigation into the controversial unit, saying JİTEM was perhaps established as an illegal unit without the knowledge of the General Staff and the gendarmerie; hence, it is the duty of these institutions to investigate it. “Despite evidence proving JİTEM’s existence, this issue has not become the subject of an administrative investigation, and nobody has asked for an accounting of this unit, which operated with the authority and finances of the state. JİTEM does not exist. What about law, respect for law, public property and money? I think they do not exist, either. And this is what really matters,” says Berkan.
