They had thrown some people into the wells just because they were militants or their relatives were on the mountains. They placed anti-tank mines underneath [the entrances of] some of their houses. They assassinated others by luring them into some 'shelters' and throwing bombs at them. He [Temizöz] threatened some people and took their necklaces and money. Therefore, he soon became wealthy. When we visited Maj. Ali Yıldız to complain, after which he [Temizöz] was reprimanded by his superiors, he told us: 'I know what you did, I will have you shot.'" This is the part about Temizöz, now a colonel, in Abdülkadir Aygan's famous confessions on the bloody dirty war in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish Southeast in the years 1993-96. According to Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the former chairman of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, there are still over 5,000 unsolved murders from that era.
In what came as a surprise move, Col. Temizöz, currently serving as Kayseri Gendarmerie commander, was arrested Monday afternoon.
This arrest is not what you can label as part of a daily routine. Temizöz is the highest ranking officer to be arrested for interrogation in pursuit of those responsible for the gangster style extra-judiciary killings, complaints about which the military courts -- until recently -- rejected or shelved. The significance of this case is that it marks a turning point for "going all the way" to put those responsible before justice. After the remarkable failure in the Şemdinli case a couple of years ago, the refreshed resolve of the authorities is astonishing. This arrest follows the arduous search for and discovery of the remains of those killed in the so-called "acid wells" in Silopi and, later, in Kuştepe Village near Cizre. Both searches recovered some bones. Last weekend, Kamil Atak, a village guard and former mayor of Cizre, was detained, and we understand that Atak pointed to Temizöz as the "top man."
So, what is really going on?
It could be easily presumed that the Şemdinli type of obstruction of justice -- and the era such failures signify -- is slowly coming to an end. Despite some visible formal resistance (such as the strange delay in opening the infamous wells to search), what both the police and judiciary display is a new spirit. Had the arrest of Temizöz been a singular event, one could express skepticism. But, keep in mind the fact that such a swift and spectacular arrest would be impossible without the top command's consent. Put in a broader context, as once more confirmed by what President Abdullah Gül hinted at in Baghdad, stating that "a very detailed plan in Ankara was prepared for dealing with the Kurdish issue," we all have to be prepared for surprises, perhaps even shocks.
To the Kurds of Turkey it could come as something unbelievable.
Have the actors in Ankara reached a full consensus? Not really. But take it for granted that an entirely new thinking has been taking shape, with a common ground of understanding that "it can't go on like this anymore." Doubts and fears remain in various circles, naturally, but it is now time for the civilian authorities to lead the process rather than playing the ostrich.
One should, without a doubt, hand it to Gen. İlker Başbuğ, who in many aspects is "riding the bull" with his cool, and as much as I know his realism on this issue, he will take it to the end.
The change has come to Turkey's 80-some-year-long denial of the Kurdish reality. The word "Kurdistan" was used for the first time, not just by any Turkish official, but by the highest authority, President Gül, while visiting Iraq. When asked why, Gül responded with a wonderful analogy. Why not, he asked, just because Greece refrains calling Macedonia by name, should we adopt a similar attitude? Kurdistan is mentioned in Iraq's Constitution, he noted.
Finally the taboo of Kurds, undermined for years by the Turkish press, has finally collapsed. Now, both the Turks and Kurds can talk business -- with a real language, without beating around the bush. Surprises haunt us here. Both Temizöz's arrest and Gül's historic choice of terminology tell us Turkey will finally adopt a pro-active policymaking in both its domestic scene and in the international arena.
If you add to this the news that former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök is to be subpoenaed as a witness to the army's role in recent years' coup attempts, the picture becomes even less blurred.
