Trial Update: Malatya Murders Linked To Ergenekon
The judge presiding over the brutal murder of three Christians last year in a Malatya publishing house has announced that the indictment against Ergenekon, a criminal organization accused of plotting to overthrow the government, has been merged with the Malatya murder case…
Ergenekon is a behind-the-scenes network attempting to use social and psychological engineering to shape the country in accordance with its own ultra-nationalist ideology. The group is suspected not only in the Malatya murder case, but also in various other attacks and assassinations, including the killing of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in early 2007. The decision marks an important step in the course of the trial, during which lawyers representing the victims’ families had continuously insisted that the murder of the three Christians was not simply a hate crime, but something that goes much deeper.
Recent evidence collected in the Ergenekon investigation also suggests that the brutal killings might have been organized by Ergenekon, which is suspected of a large number of murders and bombings aimed at creating chaos in the country to serve the organization’s ultimate purpose of overthrowing the government….
[Adding to the Three-Ring Circus atmosphere of the trial:]
Yesterday’s highlight from the courtroom came from suspect Halil Behiç Gürcihan, who proposed to Fatma Sibel Yüksek in the middle of the court room. He said he was taken into custody at a time when the couple planned to get married. Meanwhile, Yüksek said she was confounded by the proposal and even considering walking out of the courtroom. (for full article, click here)
This is not what Yuksek says in her fiance’s site.