In a seven-page handwritten statement read out loud by his lawyer, Ali Rıza Dizdar, in court on Tuesday in the eighth hearing of the second Ergenekon trial, Ersöz claimed that none of the officers at the time of the alleged plot [the indictment is not limited to but does focus on an alleged plot devised against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government by some generals active on duty between 2001 and 2004] could have possibly acted without the orders of the top brass, saying those individuals should also be held responsible. He drew a chart of the top commanders and put the name of Gen. Eruygur on top, then wrote next to his name, “He is responsible for everything.”
In Tuesday's hearing, Dizdar asserted that the Republican Work Group (CÇG) -- a group formed by generals at the time -- was a perfectly legal organization acting as an intelligence unit. The CÇG is accused of compiling lists of thousands of people, categorizing them according to political leanings, ideology and creed, as a reference mostly for blacklisting purposes.
Other names in Ersöz's organizational chart included Hakkı Kılınç, a brigade commander at the Gendarmerie General Command, and Celal Çıtak, Ersöz, Mustafa Bıyık and Ali Esener. None of these officers except Ersöz are suspects in the trial. Gen. Bıyık is still a brigade commander. “The commanders cannot execute any activities by themselves,” stated Ersöz. He also listed the names of Col. Cihandar Hasanhanoğlu -- who is currently an Ergenekon suspect but is not jailed and is awaiting trial -- and Ret. Col. Atilla Uğur, an incarcerated suspect pending trial in the Ergenekon case. The name of Col. Mustafa Koç, also currently a suspect who is in jail pending trial, was also shown on Ersöz's chart as reporting to Hasanhanoğlu.
Ersöz said the brigade commander had to approve any order that would be issued inside the organization. Ersöz appealed to the prosecutors to take note of the hierarchical structure and criticized the investigation for not indicting any of the brigade commanders, who he said were directly responsible in the command center's activities. He noted that Koç was jailed, but Hasanhanoğlu, to whom Koç reported, was not. He said it was not clear why some were put in jail while others were released pending trial.
