11 May 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN , İSTANBUL
A former public prosecutor who wrote an article about the deaths of four privates who were killed by a live hand grenade which one soldier had in his hand as part of a “punishment” for dozing off while standing guard is standing trial on charges of “violating the confidentiality of an investigation” and “attempting to influence an ongoing judicial process.”
His trial started yesterday at the Bakırköy 2nd Court of First Instance. Speaking to members of the press before entering the courthouse, Reşat Petek said, “Those who make ill-meaning statements that can put pressure on a judge or a prosecutor are never prosecuted in Turkey, but when you write something that is a mere legal evaluation they file lawsuits against you.” He said prosecutors did not go after political party leaders who announced that they were behind a suspect in a certain trial, or other statements that openly seek to pressure or threaten a particular judge. “Of course, I am not the first such case; many a journalist has been brought to court over such things. Now as a retired chief prosecutor, I am being tried. I will give my defense and wait for the result.” The trial was adjourned until Sept. 16, 2010. In August of last year, Lt. Mehmet Tümer was arrested as part of a military investigation into an explosion that killed four soldiers in the eastern province of Elazığ. In his article, Petek argued that the lieutenant had to be tried on homicide charges, instead of manslaughter.
