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Prosecutor removed amidst controversy over MİT head testimony
İstanbul Specially Authorized Prosecutor Sadrettin Sarıkaya was removed from the case on Saturday by İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In initial comments on his removal, Sarıkaya said he respects the decision. Speaking outside the court in İstanbul after his removal, Sarıkaya said: "This is the chief prosecutor's prerogative ... There is nothing that can be done. We did our duty," he said.
Two new prosecutors have been assigned to the case after Sarıkaya's removal.
Last week Sarıkaya summoned MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, his predecessor Emre Taner and MİT Deputy Undersecretary Afet Güneş to testify in the ongoing investigation into the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), which Turkish prosecutors say is a group that controls the PKK and other affiliated groups. MİT appealed the prosecutor's move to summon Fidan to testify on Thursday, arguing the prosecutor's office should have asked permission from the prime minister, but prosecutor Sarıkaya rejected the appeal on Friday.
The prosecutor also requested that the Ankara Prosecutor's Office hear Fidan's testimony and obtained warrants for Güneş, Taner and two MİT officials, Yaşar Yıldırım and Hüseyin Kuzuoğlu. The prosecutor requested warrants from the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court on Friday and the court accepted the prosecutor's request.
Furthermore, on Friday the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) presented a draft law to Parliament according to which specially authorized prosecutors have to receive permission from the prime minister when taking legal action against MİT officials.
İstanbul Specially Authorized Prosecutor Sarıkaya was overseeing the probe into the KCK with Bilal Bayraktar. With two new prosecutors assigned to replace Sarıkaya, three prosecutors are now involved in the case.
Thirty-one individuals, including former Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Fatma Kurtulan and the former chairman of the now-defunct pro-Kurdish Democratic People's Party (DEHAP), Tuncer Bakırhan, were arrested on Jan. 17 as part of the KCK investigation.
Reports claim that according to documents in the case file the KCK was actually founded under MİT oversight. It has also been alleged that orders for some of the KCK's attacks were given from sources inside MİT.
Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay criticized the summons on Saturday, saying public officials could not be accused for simply carrying out their duties.
"This is how the government sees it. The people in question are carrying out their public duty at great sacrifice to themselves. Therefore, to be accused and be summoned like this in the public eye is wrong," he said.
"It is wrong to summon in this way a MİT director who is directly linked to the prime minister without the prime minister's permission and knowledge," he said.
Atalay said he hoped the parliamentary bill presented on Friday by the ruling AK Party aimed at blocking the summons would be passed next week.
Sources say new evidence in the KCK probe -- including testimonies from suspects and witnesses as well as letters exchanged between senior KCK members and PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, which prosecutors say were used for relaying orders for attacks -- has led to the summons. In addition, individuals recently arrested in connection with the KCK probe were MİT agents and information provided by these individuals was also taken into consideration. The prosecution suspects that some of these agents might have crossed sides and collaborated with the KCK.
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