Not a word has been heard from Mahmut Taşdemir, the former deputy chairman of Türk Metal, in over a year. Özbek is currently standing trial as a suspected financier of Ergenekon, a clandestine gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government. He is being charged with using union money to fund the illegal activities of the group.
According to news reports, Taşdemir has not been home for over a year. Speaking to a daily yesterday, his wife, Mahi Taşdemir, said: “My husband fled in order to protect us. I don't know where and how he is living. I don't even want to think about this, but I think he might even have been killed.” His son Özgür Taşdemir told the same daily, “We at least want to know whether he is alive or not.” His family says he disappeared about two months after testifying.
As the family's agonizing wait for Mahmut Taşdemir continues, a letter he wrote to Özbek in June 2007 has been included the third indictment prepared in the Ergenekon case, which was accepted by an İstanbul court last month. In this letter, Taşdemir and Özbek's close relationship is clearly apparent. “I have never betrayed you or the union, and I never will. I have not been so disloyal as to forget my ancestors. I am always ready for your orders even if that might mean my death,” Taşdemir wrote.
Taşdemir was one of the closest people to Özbek. However, he wrote an account titled “The Truth about Türk Metal and Mustafa Özbek,” in which he outlined incidents he witnessed in the union between the years 1990 and 2005. After the account went public, he was nearly beaten to death by Özbek's men. He survived the beating but required metal implants in his leg and arm. After the incident, he testified at the İzmit Counter-Terrorism Department upon the orders of Ergenekon prosecutors. He claimed that union money was transferred to the bank accounts of Avrasya Television, a company allegedly established for Özbek's son, and that many meetings of JİTEM -- an illegal formation inside the gendarmerie -- had been held at the Türk Metal headquarters in the capital.
Family members sacked
Family members of Taşdemir, who was a target of many threats for revealing the links between Ergenekon and the union, have suffered during this period. His older son, Halil İbrahim Taşdemir, was fired from his job one year ahead of his retirement. His younger son, Özgür Taşdemir, was also fired from the factory where he was employed. Taşdemir's son-in-law was also fired from his job, causing the family great financial difficulty.
