Workers’ Party (İP) leader Doğu Perinçek, who is indicted for engaging in attempts to overthrow the government, demanded the disqualification of judge Hasan Hüseyin Özese, saying that he had referred to defendant Osman Yıldırım as “Osman Bey” during his cross-examination. However, Özese had said that he addresses all the defendants as “Bey” (the equivalent of Mr. in Turkish), as can be seen in the minutes of the hearings, which clearly show that he is impartial. The court rejected Perinçek’s demand on the grounds that he is not allowed to make such a request under the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK).
Noting that Özese had addressed Yıldırım using the title “Bey” 36 times during the hearing, Perinçek maintained that the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office had not launched a closure case against the İP and the court there was the true “Turkish judiciary” while the court hearing the Ergenekon trial is not the true Turkish judiciary. “No one can automatically become a judge just by wearing the judge’s gown.” He further described the 11th Heavy Criminal Court in Ankara that had held that the Council of State attack had been conducted in connection with the headscarf issue as “the Turkish judiciary” and maintained that this court did not call Yıldırım “Osman Bey” while Özese spoke in this manner as part of psychological warfare.
 This undated photo shows İP leader Doğu Perinçek (R), a chief suspect in the Ergenekon case, shaking hands with PKK members during a visit to a PKK camp. The terrorist group’s leader, Abdullah Öcalan, is next to him. |
He criticized the ongoing search at the Tactical Mobilization Group, claiming that the people who are responsible for this investigation would be tried. According to him, Özese asked defendant Hasan Atilla Uğur whether he had encountered a document showing Perinçek as the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the General Staff archives, and this should be regarded as justification for his disqualification.
Perinçek argued that there was a court decision saying that this was not true. “You may be the founders of the PKK. But I am not,” he shouted.
Court president Köksal Şengün warned him not to shout. “You don’t have to shout. We can hear you,” Şengün said in response to which Perinçek replied, “Let them hear me from Şırnak.” Şengün asked him again not to speak loudly. “You cannot just sit and shout. If you want your voice to be heard, you must learn how to listen” he said. In expressing his opinion, prosecutor Mehmet Ali Pekgüzel indicated that in a letter in one of the annexes to the indictment, Perinçek addressed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan as “distinguished,” and when Perinçek was asked why he had used this complimentary title, he had said: “I am the head of a political party. I addressed him in this way in order to be polite.” After a short interval, the court rejected Perinçek’s demand for Özese to be disqualified.
During this interval, Perinçek addressed Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies Bülent Baratalı, Ali Rıza Öztürk, Şahin Mengü, Turgut Dibek, İsa Gök, Atilla Kart and Halil Ünlütepe. Approaching the gallery section of the court, Perinçek thanked the CHP deputies for coming, noting that he was extremely satisfied with the attitude of CHP leader Deniz Baykal, who is his friend, toward the Ergenekon trial. “Give my respects to Deniz Baykal,” he said. He also complained to the deputies about the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the 13th High Criminal Court in İstanbul.
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