Baykal, media distort facts related to Berk's aid to Alevi villages

On Tuesday, Baykal complained in Parliament that the indictment points to 3rd Army Commander Gen. Saldıray Berk as a suspect because he has given a helping hand to residents of Alevi villages in the East. “Look at what the indictment says: Saldıray Berk shows close interest in Alevi villages in Erzincan and in its vicinity. The military's facilities are used to meet the needs of those villages,” Baykal said. The CHP leader accused Osman Şanal, the prosecutor who prepared the indictment, of targeting Gen. Berk because of his aid to the Alevi community.

Baykal’s remarks made their way into several Turkish dailies the next day, which accused the prosecutor -- and indirectly the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government -- of fomenting hatred against Alevis in society.

However, this was not the case. The indictment shows that the statements related to Gen. Berk and Alevis were not produced by the prosecutor. Indeed, they were included in a document seized in the home of a sergeant major who was arrested as part of an investigation into a suspected military plot to undermine the AK Party and certain religious communities in Erzincan province. The plot would frame individuals in specific religious organizations for crimes they did not commit by planting hand grenades and ammunition in their homes and offices.

A document seized during a police search at the house of Sgt. Maj. Orhan Esirger reads: “Saldıray Berk shows close interest in Alevi villages in Erzincan and in its vicinity. He is loved and appreciated much by Alevi villagers and dedes [Alevi religious leaders] due to his charitable activities there. However, he shows no interest in Sunni villages and their leaders. Gen. Berk is accompanied by his wife during his visits to those villages. It is believed that Gen. Berk’s close interest in Alevi villages is related to his sympathy with Alevism.”

The document reveals that Baykal and some newspapers were selective in choosing sentences from the document and depicting them as Şanal’s evaluation of Berk’s activities. A witness in the case, identified by his first name “Osman,” is quoted in the indictment as saying some men distributed weapons and hand grenades to locals in his village in 1994, which were intended to be used in clashes between Alevi and Sunni villagers.

Osman said locals were given light anti-tank weapons (LAWs), rocket launchers, long-barrel rifles and hand grenades, but did not specify who “the men” were that handed over the weapons. According to the witness, he was also given a black hand grenade.

“I kept it in my home for a few days. Then I felt disturbed and gave it to the village head,” the witness is quoted as saying in the indictment. Osman also said Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor Cihaner had advised other prosecutors in the city to presume in prospective investigations that the weapons were “smuggled” if they were discovered by the police.