Rooms used in Ergenekon probe to be part of new university

The İstanbul Courthouse in Beşiktaş has played a major role in building Turkish democratic culture over the course of the investigation into Ergenekon, a shadowy illegal organization nestled within the state with ties to the military that stands accused of planning a coup to overthrow the constitutional order. The İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office is planning to move to a new building in Çağlayan in October.

The announcement of its intention to move had prompted a number of interesting proposals for the usage of the soon-to-be-abandoned premises. The İstanbul Bar Association -- which has become known for its support for suspects in the Ergenekon trial and opposition to the investigation -- submitted a petition to the Justice Ministry and the Foundations General Directorate İstanbul 1st Regional Directorate to take over the courthouse complex. Bahçeşehir University and Mimar Sinan University also submitted requests for the complex to become part of their respective campuses. The requests from the bar association and the two universities were rejected, however, and the Foundations General Directorate announced that the buildings would instead become a part of the campus of the new Fatih Sultan Mehmet University. The İstanbul Bar Association will continue its activities in its current Beyoğlu building.

Aging homes of the İstanbul judiciary

In İstanbul, Turkey’s largest city, the old and dilapidated buildings housing courthouses have been a source of much difficulty. When some courts, including Üsküdar and Şişli, began functioning out of rental premises, the Justice Ministry took action to address the situation. Over the course of the past seven years the Justice Ministry has prepared three large and modern court buildings. The new Bakırköy Courthouse has already opened, and in the coming months two new courthouses will open, one in Çağlayan and the other in Maltepe. The buildings will be the two largest courthouses in Europe, and will serve as a central home for the judiciary on the European and Asian sides of the city, respectively.

The İstanbul Courthouse in Beşiktaş, which has played a major role in building Turkish democratic culture over the course of the Ergenekon probe, will become part of a new university.

The gathering of courthouses into central locations has led to interest in the old buildings that have until now housed the courts. İstanbul Bar Association President Muammer Aydın had filed the request for the Beşiktaş building’s appropriation. The petition he submitted was sent to the Foundations Directorate General on July 12. In it he pointed out that with its 26,000 members, the İstanbul Bar Association was the world’s second-largest institution of its kind. The bar association, with its 132-year history, has worked with a spirit of self-sacrifice to develop and preserve concepts like the rule of law and other legal principles in Turkey, Aydın claimed in his petition.

He argued that in civilized nations bar associations are, as much as courthouses, the indicators of modernity, noting that the bar association currently operates out of a rental building in Beyoğlu that is far from capable of meeting the group’s administrative needs or housing foreign guests that visit each year. He requested that in light of the İstanbul Bar Association’s institutional identity and 132-year history, the Beşiktaş courthouse be appropriated for the organization’s usage. The directorate replied to Aydın’s request on July 29 and informed him that the buildings had already been assigned to Fatih Sultan Mehmet University.

Meanwhile, the courthouse building in Sultanahmet will also be moving its activities to Çağlayan; the court’s current premises are being handed over to the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Recently, some tourism operators submitted a request to use the building. It remains unclear for exactly what purpose the municipality will use the property.

The names that have passed through the Beşiktaş courthouse’s halls

The Ergenekon investigation began following the discovery of 27 hand grenades in a house in the district of Ümraniye in June 12, 2007. And with the extension of that investigation into the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plan probe that emerged on Jan. 20 of this year, dozens of well-known figures were placed on trial. Some were taken into custody by security forces, while others were only called to court to give testimony.

Among the most important of these personalities is retired Capt. Muzaffer Tekin, who was arrested as part of the Ergenekon probe, and whose name had formerly been implicated in a 2006 attack on the Council of State. Later, retired Gen. Veli Küçük and Workers’ Party (İP) head Doğu Perinçek were also arrested. İlhan Selçuk, who passed away recently, and former rector Kemal Alemdaroğlu were also amongst those who were interrogated at the Beşiktaş courthouse.

Retired generals Hurşit Tolon and Şener Eruygur and Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) President Sinan Aygün were arrested in this building, which was also the location of the interrogation of former military commanders Özden Örnek, İbrahim Fırtına and Aytaç Yalman, all questioned with regard to the “coup diaries.” Örnek and Fırtına were to later return to the Beşiktaş courthouse when they were taken into custody as part of the Balyoz investigation and appeared in front of the prosecutor twice.

Former Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Sabih Kanadoğlu gave testimony here in response to charges of attempting to sway the judicial process, while Col. Dursun Çiçek faced a judge three times here and was arrested in connection with his signature on the anti-establishment plot known as the “Action Plan to Fight Reactionaryism.”

A case trying 196 defendants on charges of coup attempts -- including former 1st Army commander Gen. Çetin Doğan and 25 other generals -- was started at the Beşiktaş courthouse as part of the Balyoz probe and the hearing of trials over plots against minorities and students as part of the Cage Action Plan are continuing there, in addition to a number of other high-profile, controversial cases.