Debates over special treatment continue as Tarkan released

Tarkan and nine other famous personalities who were detained last Thursday night after a raid by narcotics officers appeared in court for sentencing on charges of narcotics use and alleged links to two drug dealers on Monday.

During his 45-minute testimony, Tarkan reportedly admitted to using drugs but denied accusations that he supplied drugs to others. Tarkan was released late Monday after his testimony along with seven of the suspects, while the other two were arrested by the court.

While all the suspects other than Tarkan were handcuffed while being transported to the courthouse, Tarkan was not. A man disguised as Tarkan was brought into the main entrance of the courthouse, while Tarkan was taken through a special entrance used by judges and prosecutors.

Among the other detainees were Tarık and Ömer Faruk Miras, sons of Fuat Miras, the former president of the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB); Kubilay Keskin, a reporter for the Hürriyet daily's Kelebek supplement; Milliyet reporter Bekir Saçar; RedRoom Bar owner Gökhan Yüzbaşıoğlu; Ayyıldız Mayo co-owner Murat Erdoğan; and two drug dealers.

Tarkan was held for five days in a special room on the fifth floor of the police station, where he reportedly suffered a panic attack. The singer underwent health checks two times a day at the police station.

The special treatment afforded the famed singer by police brought to mind last week's wave of detentions of high-ranking generals who were also given red-carpet treatment by the police.

Senior retired generals among the 49 retired and active duty military officers who were detained last week as part of an investigation into the Sledgehammer coup plot, which allegedly sought to instill fear and create chaos to trigger a military takeover, also spent their first night in custody in the police chief's offices at the İstanbul Police Department and were not placed in detention cells.

Retired Air Forces Commander Gen. İbrahim Fırtına, who was interrogated in January by prosecutors conducting an investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine gang planning to overthrow the government, was among the detainees in addition to former Naval Forces Commander Adm. Özden Örnek, the writer of detailed journals kept between 2000 and 2004 on some of the force commanders' coup plans, former 1st Army Commander retired Gen. Çetin Doğan and retired Gen. Ergin Saygun.

There were also news reports yesterday that the Hasdal Military Prison administration in İstanbul on Feb. 23 abolished a requirement for active duty officers kept in the prison to wear prison uniforms before active duty generals detained last Monday were arrested and brought to the prison on Thursday. The move was interpreted as being related to the possible arrest of the generals. Following the abolishment of the rule, which required all jailed officers to wear black shirts and grey slacks, a general and five admirals who were arrested as part the Sledgehammer probe were put behind bars wearing civilian clothing.

The abolishment of the rule was welcomed by officers incarcerated at Hasdal Military Prison, who have long advocated the elimination of prison uniforms.